T.W. Sexual Assault on a Minor, Sex Trafficking
The Royal family have been through their fair share of scandals, but never one like this. With Prince Andrew’s relationship with Epstein and accusations of sexual assault against a minor, it is clear why the public’s view of the Royal family is becoming unfavourable. This has only been strengthened by the settlement Andrew has agreed to over these accusations. In this settlement, Andrew neither denies nor confirms the accusations against him. However, he has sworn to pay Virginia Giuffe (the accuser) an undisclosed sum, whilst also donating a ‘substantial’ undisclosed sum to Giuffe’s charity for victim’s sexual assault. Clearly, Andrew has pledged to give a great deal of money in this settlement, and the question then arises: where is this money coming from?
Andrew has been accused by Giuffe on three accounts of sexual assault towards her at the age of 17, making her a minor in the United States, where the crime allegedly occurred. This news came after uproar from the public at Prince Andrew’s friendship with the notorious Jeffree Epstein, who had been accused multiple times of sexual assault and sex trafficking against minors. These accusations occurred both before and after his suspicious death in 2019 in Metropolitan Correctional Centre shortly after his arrest.
In the settlement, Andrew and his people have released a statement saying the reason for his donations to the charity was to ‘demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting it’s victims.’ Despite this, many have been quick to point out that this contradicts Andrew previously claiming to not regret his friendship with Epstein, in 2019.
His statement is also absent of any explanation over where he will source the money agreed on by the settlement. The Duke’s financial situation is unknown but it is clear from his clothes, to transportation that he favours luxury. This might be all about to change as Andrew recently sold his Swiss Ski Chalet for £18 million, that he had bought with his ex-Sarah Ferguson in 2014, causing many to wonder if this is a direct result of the settlement.
It is public knowledge that the Duke receives a Royal Navy pension and a stipend from Queen’s Dutch of Lancaster income. However, since the allegations surfaced, Andrew has had all his military titles and patronages stripped from him. The palace consequently released a statement claiming Andrew must defend himself as ‘a private citizen’. If this is so, is it appropriate for Andrew to still be receiving money from the Queen, money that is paid for by the country and will be used to silence horrific accusations against him?
As Nigel Cawthorne, author of the book: Prince Andrew, Epstein and the Palace, told Sky news: ‘We’re all going to be asking the question: is Mother going to put her hand in her pocket?’ As a result, Prince Andrew has become notorious in Britain and the wider world.
Despite these monetary discussions, Giuffe herself must not be forgotten, and neither should the incredible things she has done for herself but other victims of sexual assault. In the settlement, she is being compensated for her own grief, whilst managing to help so many more people. Lisa Bloom, who is a lawyer for many of Epstein’s victims said, ‘This is a monumental win for Virginia […] for everyday people… standing up against the rich and powerful.’ Liz Stein, one of Epstein’s accusers, further added, ‘I think that what Virginia did wanted more than anything else was validation and I think in that settlement she got that.’
So, it feels as though the public will never get their conclusive answer on Andrew’s guilt or lack thereof. There will also never be a public answer to where Andrew is getting the money to fund the settlement. And whilst people should be rightly angry at this, none of this anger should be shown or directed towards to Giuffe. According to her friends, she received the closure she needed, whilst supporting other people in similar situations to herself. Andrew should not be paying his settlement through the publics money. If it is true that he is, there should be some solace that it is going to a good cause. Perhaps one day, the truth will come out. Hopefully the public can be compensated if their money has gone to a sexual offender, in order to sweep their accusations under the rug.