Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre reach out of court settlement over sex assault claim

Court documents suggest the pair have reached an agreement that will mean a public airing of the allegations against the son of Queen Elizabeth will not take place.

It had been expected that he would face a jury trial on claims of sexual abuse.

Ms Giuffre had alleged she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on four occasions after being trafficked by Ghislaine Maxwell and billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The duke denies all of the allegations against him.

In a letter submitted to the United States District Court on Tuesday, Ms Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies wrote jointly with Andrew’s lawyers to say that the parties had “reached a settlement in principle”.

Court documents show the Duke will make a “substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights."

Andrew has also pledged to “demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein” by supporting the “fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”

The court papers add: "Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms Giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks."

Ms Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, was suing Andrew for damages in her home country. The civil sex assault trial in the US had been scheduled to take place between September and December.

Andrew was also expected to give evidence under oath on March 10 in London, in what has been described as a neutral location.

However, the settlement of the case means this will not happen.

The court documents say: "It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.

"He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims."