US District Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed on Tuesday the civil sexual abuse case against Prince Andrew after an estimated $16 million settlement was reached with his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, according to the court filing.
Earlier in the day, the sides officially signed an agreement to drop the case.
“Plaintiff Virginia Giuffre and defendant Prince Andrew, Duke of York, hereby stipulate to the dismissal of this action, with prejudice,” states the one-page letter filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court.
The Sun earlier reported that Prince Charles would lend his brother money for paying part of the multi-million-dollar settlement. The Queen, who financed his legal battle, is also reportedly going to contribute to the payment. Elizabeth II was said to cover part of the amount personally, using the profits from private ownership, the Duchy of Lancaster.
Prince Andrew is expected to repay Charles and his mother after closing a $17 million deal to sell a chalet in the Swiss ski resort village of Verbier.
The exact amount of the compensation has not been revealed, but news outlets claim it amounts to $16.3 million. If Prince Andrew does not repay his debts, his assets will be blocked, according to reports.
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On 15 February, documents from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York revealed that Prince Andrew and Giuffre had reached a settlement. Under the terms of the agreement, Prince Andrew pledged to make “significant donations” to Virginia Giuffre's charitable foundation for victims of sexual assault.
The document also states that the duke, who has already been deprived of some of titles and regalia, never intended to harm the woman and admits that she suffered from both sexual violence and public harassment. In addition, Prince Andrew expressed regret over his friendship with financier and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
38-year-old Virginia Giuffre alleged in a civil lawsuit that she was sexually assaulted three times when she was 17. She claims that the 61-year-old duke raped her three times at Ghislaine Maxwell's house in London and at mansions owned by late financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying he doesn't remember how met Giuffre.
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