Jeffrey Epstein’s confidential deal with Virginia Giuffre was unsealed by a New York court on Monday, revealing she was set to collect $500,000 from the financier in 2009.
Lawyers of Prince Andrew have said that the agreement protects the Duke of York from claims brought by Ms Giuffre and will be grounds for the sexual assault lawsuit’s dismissal.
Ms Giuffre, in the court documents, says that she was a victim of sex trafficking and abuse by Epstein from the age of 16. She has said that part of the abuse involved being lent out to other powerful men — including Prince Andrew.
She has accused him of sexually assaulting her on three occasions when she was under the age of 18, a claim the Duke has denied.
Amid the unsealing, a veteran of the Grenadier Guards, Julian Perreira, has become the first to go on record calling for the Duke of York to step down from the army.
Mr Perreira, a former lance sergeant who served three tours of Afghanistan in 2007, 2009 and 2012, told The Times the duke’s continued involvement would “stain” the regiment’s history.
Andrew took on the ceremonial position from his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 2017.
