Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre negotiated an out-of-court settlement in her sexual assault complaint against the prince, but what does this mean for his royal status?
In the midst of the litigation, Queen Elizabeth stated in January that she was removing her son’s royal patronages and military titles. The settlement of the lawsuit, however, has no effect on the monarch’s choice. While the Queen’s son will continue to be a member of the royal family, his military affiliations and patronages will not be returned to him.
A royal insider confirmed to PEOPLE that the decision was “widely discussed” among the royal family’s highest echelons, most likely referring to discussions involving Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Prince William.
Giuffre claims she was trafficked and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times when she was 17 by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has categorically denied any misconduct. The attorneys’ joint statement issued on Tuesday announcing the parties’ undisclosed settlement and intention to dismiss the action does not address the issue of Prince Andrew’s culpability.
Prince Andrew, 61, is expected to keep his title as Duke of York and his position in the line of succession to the throne, which is now ninth behind Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two children. However, in any official role, he will no longer use the title “His Royal Highness.”
Prince Andrew is also unlikely to do any public work for the Queen or the royal family in the future. However, in the paperwork filed Tuesday, Prince Andrew “pledges to convey his contrition for his relationship with Epstein by supporting the fight against the horrors of sex trafficking, as well as the victims of sex trafficking.”
Princess Eugenie, Andrew’s youngest daughter (who travelled to California and attended the Super Bowl with cousin Prince Harry over the weekend), launched The Anti-Slavery Collective in 2017 with her friend Julia de Boinville to oppose contemporary slavery and trafficking.
Princess Eugenie and Julia travelled to India together in 2012, where they visited the Women’s Interlink Foundation and “first became aware of modern slavery.”
“We were astounded to learn how widespread slavery is. In fact, there are more enslaved individuals today than at any other period in history, and someone is being trafficked within a mile of your home at any given time. Slavery is traditionally associated with chains and shackles, but modern slavery is a covert crime that is frequently difficult to identify “Previously, they stated on Instagram.
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Following his bombshell interview with the BBC exposing his ties to Epstein, Prince Andrew said in November 2019 that he will “step down from public activities for the foreseeable future.”
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances surrounding my former association with Jeffrey Epstein have become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work that is going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support,” he said in a statement. “As a result, I have sought Her Majesty for permission to stand back from public obligations for the foreseeable future, and she has granted it.”
