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       Prince Andrew claims he had a medical condition which meant he was unable to sweat

       Prince Andrew commended Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s “bravery” after reaching a settlement in her sexual abuse lawsuit against him.

       Ms Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies revealed the settlement in a motion filed with US District Judge Lewis Kaplan on Tuesday, saying that both parties agreed for the Duke of York to pay an undisclosed amount to her, along with a donation to a charity “in support of victims’ rights”.

       The lawsuit alleged Prince Andrew sexually abused Ms Giuffre as a teenager on multiple occasions in London, Manhattan, and the US Virgin Islands in 2001 - allegations that he strongly denied - when she was a victim of sex trafficking by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

       News of the settlement comes weeks after the royal’s legal team lost a bid to dismiss the case on the grounds that another 2009 agreement between Ms Giuffre and Epstein barred him from liability.

       While the price tag on the settlement has not been released, questions are mounting over how Prince Andrew will be able to afford it.

       Recommended Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre reach settlement over sexual abuse claim Virginia Giuffre ‘no longer has’ infamous photo of Prince Andrew and original ‘may not exist’ Prince Andrew settles with Virginia Giuffre: Read the full statement

       Key Points What we know about Prince Andrew’s settlement with Virginia Giuffre Full statement about the settlement What were Giuffre’s allegations against Prince Andrew?

       Show latest update 1644948014 Lawyer for Epstein victims hails ‘victory'

       Attorney Lisa Bloom, who represents eight victims of Jeffrey Epstein, released a statement celebrating the settlement between Prince Andrew and Ms Giuffre.

       “We hail Virginia’s victory today,” Ms Bloom tweeted.

       “She has accomplished what no one else could: getting Prince Andrew to stop his nonsense and side with sexual abuse victims. We salute Virginia’s stunning courage.”

       Megan Sheets 15 February 2022 18:00

       1644946804 Silence from Buckingham Palace

       Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Prince Andrew’s settlement when reached by The Independent on Tuesday afternoon.

       It comes weeks after the Queen sought to distance herself from her rumoured favourite son by stripping him of his HRH style and military roles last month.

       Megan Sheets 15 February 2022 17:40

       1644945614 ‘Missing’ photo of Giuffre and Andrew

       One of the key pieces of evidence in Ms Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew was a photo purportedly showing the pair at a party, which she claimed was taken on the night he assaulted her in London in 2001.

       The photo was crucial because it appeared to refute the royal’s claim that he never met Ms Giuffre.

       Just hours before the settlement was announced, however, a source close to Ms Giuffre’s legal team claimed that she no longer had the image in her possession.

       The revelation came to light after Prince Andrew’s lawyers requested access to the photo, which they hoped to examine to prove it was not authentic.

       The Independent’s Chiara Giordano reports:

       Virginia Giuffre ‘no longer has’ infamous photo of Prince Andrew Duke of York’s lawyers had requested access to original image of him and Virginia Giuffre to check whether it was fake

       Megan Sheets 15 February 2022 17:20

       1644944414 Failed bids to throw out the suit

       Prince Andrew’s legal team made numerous attempts to have Ms Giuffre’s lawsuit against him thrown out based on an array of different arguments.

       Late last year, the lawyers unsuccessfully contended that Ms Giuffre did not have the grounds to file it in US court because she lives in Australia, despite the suit suggesting she lives in America.

       Then, the duke’s legal team made the argument that he was shielded from liability by a 2009 settlement between Ms Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, whom she accused of sex trafficking her as a teen.

       That agreement was made public on 3 January 2022, revealing Ms Giuffre was paid $500,000 (￡370,000) to settle all claims against Epstein and his associates, providing a release for “any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant” against her allegations.

       The duke’s lawyers argued that he was included as a “potential defendant”, but Judge Lewis Kaplan disagreed and ruled that the case could move forward on 12 January.

       Megan Sheets 15 February 2022 17:00

       1644943514 What did Giuffre’s suit allege?

       Virginia Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, first met now-convicted Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000 at the age of 17, when she was working as a spa assistant in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, where Ms Giuffre’s father also worked as a maintenance manager.

       Maxwell approached her and asked if she was interested in being a masseuse for Epstein. However, according to Ms Giuffre’s claims, both Epstein and Maxwell began grooming her.

       Ms Giuffre was allegedly trafficked to then 41-year-old Prince Andrew in 2001. Her lawsuit accused the royal of having sex with her on three occasions; a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17 for which she was paid $15,00 and later in New York and on Little Saint James, a small private island in the US Virgin Islands.

       Despite flight logs and photos revealing that Ms Giuffre and Prince Andrew had spent time together, the duke has denied meeting or having sex with her. Most famously, in a 2019 BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, he said he was having dinner in a branch of Pizza Express in Woking and not having sex in London as per the claims against him.

       Ms Giuffre’s lawsuit claimed he had sex with her without consent despite knowing how old she was and that she was a victim of sex trafficking. It alleged that she has continued to suffer “significant emotional and psychological distress” decades after the alleged assaults.

       “Twenty years ago Prince Andrew’s wealth, power, position, and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her. It is long past the time for him to be held to account,” the suit stated.

       Megan Sheets 15 February 2022 16:45

       1644942872 Prince ‘commends Giuffre’s bravery'

       While Prince Andrew’s legal team has not yet commented publicly on the settlement, the statement from Ms Giuffre’s attorneys included a brief section attributed to him.

       “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,” it reads.

       “It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and comments the bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.

       “He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”

       Megan Sheets 15 February 2022 16:34

       1644942306 Read the settlement announcement

       Below is Ms Giuffre’s attorneys’ full statement announcing the settlement:

       (Court)

       (Court)

       Megan Sheets 15 February 2022 16:25

       1644942055 What we know so far

       Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s legal team informed the US District Court that a settlement had been reached in a filing on Tuesday.

       The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

       The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

       Prince Andrew settles with Virginia Giuffre: Read the full statement Terms of the settlement were not released

       Megan Sheets 15 February 2022 16:20