Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew’s sexual abuse accuser, could return to the public eye next month if her gag clause is lifted.
Ms Giuffre, who now lives in Australia, had claimed she was forced to have sex with the Duke three times at the age of 17 on the orders of the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
She initiated her legal action against Andrew in August 2021, seeking unspecified damages for injuries, including rape, and inflicting emotional distress.
It was settled out of court on February 15, 2022 for a reported $12 million, with $2 million believed to have been donated to her sex trafficking charity. The Duke admitted no wrongdoing and has consistently and vehemently denied the claims.
Last year, the Duke of York and Mrs Giuffre signed a one-year deal that meant neither party could discuss the matter or the financial settlement made
Ms Giuffre, who now lives in Australia, could return to the public eye next month if her gag clause is lifted
As part of the settlement last year, the Duke of York and Ms Giuffre signed a one-year agreement that meant neither party could discuss the matter or the financial settlement. The Telegraph reported.
With this clause being lifted in a few weeks, Ms. Giuffre, who is married with children, is likely to speak freely about the abuse of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
This could be writing a book, conducting print or television interviews with the media, or writing a book.
The Duke settled the matter with Mrs Giuffre ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last year, after losing all military titles and patronages in January and being ordered by Buckingham Palace not to use his HRH title. The palace also ruled out a return to public duties.
The late Queen contributed to the reported settlement sum of $12 million, with the gag clause considered crucial in the deal.
At the time, some palace staff criticized the length of silence that had been agreed, with a friend of the duke saying: ‘If you’re going for a legal solution at that kind of price then you want silence – but what we have is silence for the Platinum anniversary ‘ reported The Telegraph.
The specific terms of the gag clause have not been released. It will be lifted later next month.
It is thought that Ms. Giuffre may be free to publicly address how she was trafficked into sex by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
She could have agreed not to repeat her allegations about Prince Andrew, or discuss him in relation to the criminal couple.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the early lifting of the clause.
It comes as King Charles kicked Andrew out of the royal fold, telling him he’s “on his own” in the wake of the scandal surrounding his associations with the late pedophile financier Jeffery Epstein, a source claimed.
The Duke of York was told he could no longer use Buckingham Palace as office space. The sun.
“Any presence in the palace is officially over,” said a source. “The king has made it clear. He’s not a working royal. He’s on his own.’
As part of the King’s decision, Andrew will not be able to use the address for future correspondence. The skeleton staff who had been detained since he left office three years ago are now at risk of becoming unemployed.
It’s thought Ms Giuffre may be free to speak publicly about how she was trafficked into sex by Epstein (pictured) and Ghislaine Maxwell
Until this year, he had ten military ties, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, as he worked to clear his name amid the scandal of his association with American pedophile Jeffery Epstein.
As part of the King’s decision, Andrew, 62, will not be able to use the address for future correspondence
The report came after Queen consort Camilla was announced as the Duke’s disgraced replacement as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards in a shake-up of senior royal military positions.
Andrew inherited the post of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards from his late father, the Duke of Edinburgh, when he retired from public life in 2017.
After his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, he was forced by the Queen to step down from his official royal duties.
Until this year, he had ten military ties, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, as he worked to clear his name amid the scandal of his association with American pedophile Jeffery Epstein.
He was finally stripped of the ceremonial title earlier this year in the wake of his decision to settle a civil lawsuit with one of Epstein’s victims, Ms. Giuffre, who had also accused him of assault. He has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.
King Charles has kicked Prince Andrew out of the royal fold and told him he’s “on his own,” sources claim
Prince Andrew, Duke of York and King Charles III depart after attending the vigil in memory of Queen Elizabeth II at St Giles Cathedral on September 12, 2022 in Edinburgh
Earlier this year, the Duke of York was “bereft” and “tearful” when Charles told him in no uncertain terms that his days as a working royal were over.
A source told the Mail on Sunday at the time that ‘Andrew was totally blindsided’ and ‘completely robbed’. He always believed there was a way back.
Andrew has denied being close to Epstein, who committed suicide in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial on child trafficking charges.
Epstein’s former girlfriend, Maxwell, is currently serving 20 years in a Florida prison after being found guilty of child trafficking and other charges last December.
His mother, the late Queen, reportedly did not explicitly tell him there would be no going back to public life.
The report comes after Queen Consort Camilla was announced as the Duke’s disgraced replacement as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards in a shake-up of senior royal military positions
As a result, he only saw what the rest of his family – and the public – had been seeing for months.
“Until meeting his brother in person, Andrew believed there was a way back – that he could somehow be rehabilitated and play a role in the future of The Firm,” the source said. He came out of the meeting shocked. He’s still in shock. He’s completely lost and very depressed.’
In the meeting, Charles – who was not yet king – said: ‘Go away and have a good life, a beautiful life, but public life as a Royal is at an end… You have to accept this. ‘
As a working royal, Andrew was entitled to a taxpayer-funded security team made up of armed police officers who accompanied him on all visits outside of Windsor, Berkshire.
With no going back, the Home Office has stripped Andrew of taxpayer-funded security personnel, meaning any armed protection police will be replaced by private firms only allowed to carry tasers.
Former Home Secretary Norman Baker said last week: “Armed protection has always been a status symbol for people like Prince Andrew.
“Of course he must pay for it himself and not burden it with the taxpayer, because he is a private individual and does not perform any public duties.”