Prince Andrew might settle sex abuse case with Virginia Giuffre out of court

Prince Andrew is eager to do anything to avoid going into trial in the sex abuse case against him, and might even resort to settling the matter with his accuser outside the court.

According to a report in Mail Online, Andrew's legal team is considering an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who has accused the royal of having sex with her three times while she was still a minor and was being trafficked by convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The lawyers are contemplating other options after a hearing over their request to have the case dismissed on the grounds of a previous private settlement between Epstein and Giuffre apparently did not go well for them.

Insiders said that a private settlement between the Duke of York and his accuser "remains on the table" if the speculations that Judge Lewis Kaplan will reject their motion to dismiss the case turn out to be true. His legal team is also taking into account the "attritional impact" the case can have on the reputation of the British monarchy if it goes to trial, particularly as Andrew's mother Queen Elizabeth II is set to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of her reign this year.

One source explained, "Obviously, this is a US case involving US lawyers and involving a US civil lawsuit. In reality, 99 per cent of US civil litigations are settled out of court. A settlement would always be an option on the table, as that's where the vast majority end up. There is also the wider pressure and attritional impact to consider."

Sources with knowledge of the case stressed that no discussions have been held yet about an out-of-court settlement, but neither has it been ruled out as an option.

Meanwhile, a source close to accuser Virginia Giuffre claimed that Andrew could have avoided the lawsuit if he simply apologised to her years ago. Instead, the British royal insists that he doesn't have any recollection of even meeting her.

The insider told the New York Post, "Virginia has always just wanted the prince to acknowledge that he did something he shouldn't have, she wants him to apologize. She has never made this all about money. I think she would have dropped this a long, long time ago had the prince said he was guilty of wrongdoing, but he's embroiled in denial which has brought him down."