Prince Andrew ends sexual assault case by paying settlement to his accuser
March 9, 2022, 9:03 am

Prince Andrew

The BBC reported, according to court documents, the Duke of York is paying a financial settlement to his accuser Virginia Giuffre - formally ending a civil case brought against him in the US.

A judge in New York signed the court papers on Tuesday, marking the final stage of settling the sex assault case.

The BBC said that amount being paid by Prince Andrew in the deal agreed last month has not been revealed. But the court documents say each side will "bear her/his own costs and fees".

It mentioned that there has been speculation about how Prince Andrew might afford the settlement, which could cost millions of dollars.

According to Prince Andrew's representatives on Tuesday, there have been suggestions he could use funds from selling a ski chalet in Switzerland - but the sale has so far not been completed.

Prince Andrew-Duke of York (File photo: Facebook page)

A statement from the Treasury, in response to a Freedom of Information request, ruled out any public funding: "No public money has been used to pay legal or settlement fees."

There have been suggestions that the Queen could help to pay, using her private funds, but Buckingham Palace had declined to comment.

Prince Andrew has always strongly rejected claims of wrongdoing, but he agreed to pay an unspecified amount to Ms Giuffre and to her charity for victims' rights.

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It should be noted that in the wake of the claims, Prince Andrew lost military titles and royal patronages as well as the use of the title His Royal Highness.

Source: BBC

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.