Prince Andrew relinquished his Duke of York title and remaining honours on Friday evening as the King, in consultation with the Prince of Wales, moved to end the long-lasting scandal. The dramatic decision comes as Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir reveals fresh details about their 2022 settlement.
Giuffre's book, due out on Tuesday, discloses that Andrew specifically requested a one-year gag order to protect his mother's platinum jubilee celebrations. "I agreed to a one-year gag order, which seemed important to the prince because it ensured that his mother's platinum jubilee would not be tarnished any more than it already had been," she wrote according to The Telegraph.
Newsnight interview impact
The former duke's disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview proved catastrophic for his legal position, Giuffre revealed. She described the interview as "like an injection of jet fuel" for her legal team, according to The Telegraph.
The interview raised the possibility of subpoenaing Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Giuffre wrote that the contents would "not only help us build an ironclad case against the prince but also open the door to potentially subpoenaing" his family members.
Settlement details emerge
Andrew had "stonewalled" Giuffre's legal team for months before settlement discussions accelerated when his deposition was scheduled for March 2022. The former duke paid millions to settle the civil sexual assault case despite insisting he had never met Giuffre.
Giuffre revealed she received "more out of" Andrew than the reported twelve million dollar payout and two million dollar donation to her charity. She gained "an acknowledgement that I and many other women had been victimised and a tacit pledge to never deny it again", according to her account.
Royal family protection
Queen Elizabeth II was celebrating her platinum jubilee in 2022 as the civil case gathered pace. The settlement was reached just nine days after she reached the 70th anniversary of her accession, avoiding a public trial during the extended June weekend of jubilee celebrations.
In January 2022, a US judge ruled the civil case could proceed, prompting the Queen to strip Andrew of his honorary military roles. The prince also gave up his HRH style as the scandal deepened.
Personal reactions disclosed
Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, wrote that she was "revolted" to see "two of my abusers together" when Andrew was pictured with Jeffrey Epstein in New York in 2011. She expressed amazement that a royal family member would be "stupid enough" to appear in public with the convicted paedophile.
Andrew, who remains a prince and lives at Royal Lodge, said on Friday that "continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family". He insisted he was putting his "family and country first" by relinquishing his title and honours, though he vehemently denies Giuffre's allegations that she was forced to have sex with him on three occasions after being trafficked by Epstein.
Sources used: "The Telegraph" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
