To think this is odd in view of what’s already been said

From the Telegraph just now, headline:

“For 11 years the Duke of York’s accuser and her legal team relentlessly pursued their case until he was forced to settle out of court”

Pretty damning assessment.

I think that’s why he sold his ski chalet. He needed the money for this.

“In the end, he had no option but to settle. Whether or not he slept with the trafficked teenager, or raped her, or sexually assaulted her, the Royal family’s reputation could simply not withstand a further battering.

Senior members of the family are understood to have made their position clear: he had to draw a line under the scandal that had dogged him for so many years, whatever it may take.

Stripped of his military titles and patronages, unable to use the HRH title with which he was born, cut adrift by his own family, Prince Andrew, who will be 62 on Saturday, now faces the prospect of living the rest of his life in the shadows.”

I was under the impression that as well as the millions paid to Guiffre he has in addition, made a substantial contribution to charities supporting those who have been trafficked.
I think he settled to save the Queen embarrassment and did not want to spoil her Platinum celebrations.
I’m not convinced this is the end though and am sure there will be more to come from Guiffre. Am not a fan of Prince Andrew at all. From what I’ve read about him he appears arrogant, spoilt and entitled. However, I’ve never been totally convinced of his guilt and a trial would have allowed a jury to decide having heard all the evidence from both sides.

Going by the mess he made of the Emily Maitless interview, I suspect the royal family, in particular Charles and William did not relish the prospect of Andrew being questioned by a skilled barrister.

Gwyneth

I was under the impression that as well as the millions paid to Guiffre he has in addition, made a substantial contribution to charities supporting those who have been trafficked.
I think he settled to save the Queen embarrassment and did not want to spoil her Platinum celebrations.
I’m not convinced this is the end though and am sure there will be more to come from Guiffre. Am not a fan of Prince Andrew at all. From what I’ve read about him he appears arrogant, spoilt and entitled. However, I’ve never been totally convinced of his guilt and a trial would have allowed a jury to decide having heard all the evidence from both sides.

I understood that he didnt pay anything directly to her, but donated to her chosen charity.

I think he settled because he was told to, as other members of the family wanted it out of the way before the Platinum Jubilee celebratioms.

Although why that should be a problem I am not sure. The Platinum Jubilee celebrations are all about the Queen and he will not be part of them.

If it wasn't that I suspect that he is not going to go near the USA for a very long time, the best place for him would be with Donald Trump, hidden behind the walls of the Trump villa at Mar-a-Lago, endlessly playing golf. out of sight and out of mind.

He has some pretty nice shadows to live in

The ski chalet was worth £18 mill. he owed £7 mill on it. The settlement is rumoured to be £12 mill but of course he'll have legal costs on top of that so someone's coughing up for him. The Yorks have never been good at managing their money.

I thought he had paid her a sum as an individual and also promised an amount to chosen charities (which has just been announced on the radio news as 12 million pounds).
He is also now saying that he regretted his friendship with Epstein which is the complete opposite to what he said in that interview.

Not really sure what to think? He was determined to prove his innocence? 'That photograph' can't be produced. She said it was never about the money.

As I posted on the other thread about this, Virginia Guiffre has backtracked on her previous remarks about refusing to take any money. She said it would send out the wrong message to some men that it is perfectly acceptable to treat women like meat providing you have the money to pay up if it starts to cause problems. I suppose everyone has their price and hers is £12m but she has let herself and women in a similar position down by not going to court. PA's car crash interview on BBC must have sent shivers down the spines of his legal team should he face the questioning from a top barrister. Coughing up the cash is the same as a guilty verdict to me. However, PA will still think he's the victim in all this. The most entitled of the Queen's children and the most unpleasant. £12m is a lot of money, he will have to cut back on Pizza Hut.

Must say I do think it a bit suspicious that ‘the’ photo can apparently no longer be found.

I am not in the least saying I believe PA, but I can’t say I blame him for settling, rather than going to trial. I have been a juror for a historic sexual abuse case and I did wonder at first who on earth I was going to believe, when it was one person’s word against another’s. And (despite our being told that we must keep an open mind) I was inclined to think that the defendant was almost certainly guilty.

However as the trial progressed it seemed increasingly likely that the accuser had an unreasonable major (financial) grudge against the defendant.

We had been instructed that unless we were 100% convinced of the defendant’s guilt, we must return a not guilty verdict. In the end it was 10/2 NG.

TBH the publicity and understandable prejudice against PA, given the company he was keeping, has made me think that almost any jury would have made up their minds right from the start - as had two of the jurors in our case.

Presumably there is a chance that Maxwell will throw him under the jewel-encrusted carriage bus when her sentencing hearing comes up? Or does she no longer have anything to gain from this?

I think PA and VG - both for different reasons - were advised by their legal teams to settle.

If you were offered 12 million to support and care for women who have been abused or trafficked wouldn't you think perhaps it was best to get them more help? And let's not forget the statement PA made acknowledging VG was a victim and had been subjected to public abuse, rejecting Epstein and pledging support for abused women. That statement would have been part of the settlement. Who knows he may start a charity to support women, his daughters could run it.

Andrew settled because he was told to by Charles and William. They didn’t want the Queen’s jubilee spoilt by this rumbling on forever. There’ll be no problem paying, although it’s said that Andrew doesn’t have significant amounts of money, he’s part of one of the richest families in the world. No doubt the Queen or Prince Charles will ensure the money is paid.
After this debacle and the Harry and Meghan debacle, I think it’s time that we no longer had a royal family. I’ve only come to this conclusion in the last year or so.

Spot on trisher!

Too late now to change his mind about his relationship with Epstein. The rot set in deeper when he arrogantly stated he had no regrets having Epstein as a friend which he continued to have when Epstein’s character came to light, I questioned PA’s character and morals too. What was he thinking?

How very fortunate he had the means to throw a huge amount of money to make this nasty business go away!

Were I ever to be falsely accused, I would firmly stand my ground to prove my innocence and clear my name.

A lot would depend on how long you could afford for a case to go on. Would it be a criminal or civil matter?

So would I Kalu and if I had been miss used in any way especially for sex, 'I would firmly stand my ground to prove the guilt of my abuser'.

I am not au fait with US law Smileless but I have read/heard of many women in the UK who decide not to report being raped for fear of not being believed. PA however, has a reputation which earned him the name, Andy Randy which speaks volumes.

Being randy doesn't make you a rapist Kalu.

I wonder if she agreed to sign a non disclosure order and not to talk about it in future.

In her situation I would settle because even my mother questioned my sexual abuse as a minor child. Having my day in court with little evidence may achieve nothing simply by having someone who was prejudiced against me in the wrong seat. Going up against royalty is hugely risky.

The good she can do with the money is worth it, the people she can help is amazing and the publicity this has gained will make many randy old men rethink their behaviour

She's already had a payout. Wonder if she's going to go after other men too?