Prince Andrew pays donation after sex case settlement, case dismissed

The sex abuse case against Prince Andrew has been dismissed after the royal paid a donation to his accuser’s charity as part of a settlement.

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The Associated Press reported that U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan signed the paperwork to dismiss the suit brought by Virginia Giuffre.

Prince Andrew had until March 17 to fulfill the agreement or a trial date would have been set.

With the judge’s signature, the lawsuit cannot be refiled and has no liability for wrongdoing, the AP and BBC News reported.

Three weeks ago, lawyers from both sides had agreed to allow Prince Andrew to donate a substantial sum to Giuffre’s charity and make a declaration about her character.

Giuffre had accused the prince of sexual abuse in 2001 when she was 17 and traveling with financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The prince had denied the allegations and had asked to have them dismissed, but eventually settled with Giuffre.

Last month, however, Giuffre’s attorney wrote to the court saying, “Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”

Prince Andrew admitted that Epstein trafficked “countless young girls” and “regrets his association with Epstein,” the AP reported.

The amount of the payment was not disclosed or where the money came from, BBC News reported.

The Treasury, however, did say that “no public money has been used to pay legal or settlement fees.”

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