On Tuesday came the news that Prince Andrew (61) and Virginia Giuffre (38) had reached a settlement in the lawsuit where she claims that the prince committed several abuses against her in 2001. At that time Giuffre was 17 years old and a minor under US law.
Prince Andrew has consistently denied the allegations, and is not criminally charged.
The financial terms of the settlement have not been made public, but several British media have reported that it is about 12 million pounds. According to AFP, Prince Andrew will donate a significant sum to Giuffre’s charity.
Being perceived negatively by the «people’s court»
Before it became known that the parties had reached a settlement, historian and royal house expert Trond Norén Isaksen stated that a possible trial would be a disaster for the reputation of the British royal house.
That Prince Andrew now does not have to explain himself in court is not necessarily a good thing, the expert believes.
– ROYAL HOUSE EXPERT: Royal House expert, author and historian Trond Norén Isaksen in connection with the authority day of Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB scanpix
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– The fact that he is willing to pay to avoid a trial, I think is perceived by the “people’s court” as if there is something in the accusations, says Norén Isaksen.
He points out that this is a very bad time for the royal family. This year, the queen marks 70 years on the throne, and in April she will turn 96 years old.
– This is a time of transition from one monarch to another. The queen alone has greater support than the monarchy, and when she is gone they can no longer surf on her popularity.
The British want answers
The suspicion that the reputation has been affected is reflected in social media over the last 24 hours. On Twitter, there are several who are disappointed, and there is an abundance of speculation.
The anti-monarchy group Republic has started one signature campaign where they demand answers from the authorities about whether the British tax money is helping to pay for the settlement.
Quick one. 🤔Who pays the the 10million? I’m not ok for my tax money to go to that if that’s who it gets paid🤷🏻♀️ #PrinceAndrew
— Nic Haste (Chapman) (@nicolahaste) February 16, 2022
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One more source the Telegraph claims that the queen will contribute the payment with money from her private Duchy of Lancaster property, which is estimated to be worth 23 million pounds. Buckingham Palace has not yet commented on this to the newspaper.
– Guffent
Comedian and public debater Sofie Frøysaa is one of those who thinks the settlement strengthens the suspicion that there is something in the abuse accusation.
– If he thinks he is innocent – appear in court, then? Do not pay yourself out of it.
– RESPONDS: Sofie Frøysaa works to ensure that victims of abuse are believed. Photo: Jonas Been Henriksen / TV 2
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She is one of the six behind the Instagram account 1000historierwhich works for the police to close fewer cases involving sexual abuse.
Frøysaa describes the settlement as awkward and symptomatic.
– Only the word settlement sounds bad, because the point of it is to come to an agreement. How to reach agreement on abuse cases? The abuser is to blame and responsible, and the only thing one can agree on is that it must be dealt with severely and have consequences, Frøysaa believes.
– British media claim that it is the Queen and Prince Charles who have been the driving force for the prince to reach a settlement. But the accusations will linger with him for a long time, perhaps permanently, concludes the royal house expert Norén Isaksen.
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