Prince Andrew's lawsuit was settled, sure, but not forgotten

On 15 February, Prince Andrew finally settled the sexual assault case made against him by Virginia Giuffre for an undisclosed sum. 

There might have been a collective sigh on the Duke of York's side at the conclusion of the legal case but the long-reaching ramifications of this saga will be felt for a while longer, possibly even for the rest of his life. 

Public opinion of Prince Andrew and by extension the Royal Family has been tainted, the royals may be perseverant but even they must be feeling the turning of the tides.

Andrew's association with now-convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell dates back to the 1980s. It was in the early 1990s that he was introduced to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who committed suicide awaiting trial for sex trafficking in 2019. 

The trio had close ties; over the years the prince was a frequent visitor in Epstein's homes. He had even visited Epstein's private island at least four times. In fact, he was not only listed in Epstein's 'little black book' where he kept a detailed list of all visitors and associates, he was apparently listed with at least 12 different contact numbers.

Andrew's association with Epstein raised eyebrows in the United Kingdom back in 2011, when Epstein was already a convicted sex offender. It was reported that the prince had cut ties with Epstein back then but he had nevertheless lost his role as the UK's trade envoy. That was just the start of the headache for Andrew. 

The now infamous picture of Andrew with his arms around Giuffre and Maxwell in the background first surfaced in 2011. It had sent shockwaves through the UK and Andrew spent much of the remaining decade fighting questions the photo had raised. 

With the lawsuit settled, those questions may now be forever put to ground in the legal realm. In the public eye, however, his image has been tarnished, perhaps forever. 

Much of it can be attributed to Andrew himself. But whether it was his arrogance or naivety that caused him to take so long to reach the settlement, we will never know. We can, however, guess his mindset from his public statements on the case. 

His disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019 was perhaps the defining moment that changed the public opinion. It was the first time he had spoken, publicly, about his friendship with Epstein. 

Initially, it was an attempt to come clean and fix his plummeting public image. For a man always protected by his Royal mother, the Queen herself, facing actual consequences is not common. He had always gotten a pass when it came to his behaviour. For instance, in the British media, Andrew's romantic trysts have long been publicised. He had even been famously nicknamed "Randy Andy."

Initially, it was reported that Andrew was pleased with his performance in the Newsnight interview, thinking it went all. Things backfired.  

Then he expected the interview to be swept under the rug as just another strike under Randy Andy's misdoings. Instead, the interview served to further hammer his reputation. From then on, there was no real getting back up from the strike it had dealt. 

Earlier last month, the Queen had stripped Andrew of all his royal patronages and honorary military titles. And even with this settlement, they are not expected to be returned to him. In all senses, Andrew has retreated from the public eye as a member of the Royal family. 

Dabir Khan. Illustration: TBS

Public opinion however is not so black and white. Even with the settlement now, there are only further questions which seemingly have no actual answer.

The question the British public is no doubt eager to have answered is who will be bearing the costs of Andrew's legal troubles? 

The lawsuit could end up costing up to £10m. The Queen may have stripped his titles but her quiet support of her supposed "favourite son" has not gone unnoticed. He may even be in attendance later this year at her platinum jubilee celebrations. Andrew still receives a stipend from the Queen as well as his Royal Navy pension.  

Though whether the Queen does indeed foot the bill of the lawsuit remains to be seen. 

The recent years have not been kind to the royals and while they are hardened masters at weaving through the shifting moods of the British public, the likes of Prince Andrew's sexual assault lawsuit have never been seen before. Even they have to sweat now at the thought of manoeuvring a world that no longer seems to find much use of royals and their lofty titles. 

A settlement may have been the only real option left for the prince, the victory lies with Giuffre and her team. Andrew's arrogance kept him steadfast until now but Giuffre has quietly chipped away at his defences, sometimes aided by Andrew himself. 

The monumental task of taking on a royal at court and coming out the victor is unprecedented. Virginia Giuffre has long maintained her assertion that offenders must be held accountable no matter how rich or connected they are. Whether the settlement itself was enough to do the case justice, lies on the survivors. 

Andrew had thus far remained adamant that he held no regrets over his friendship with Epstein. Though officially, he now regrets it, the public's verdict is in. The answer is: too little, too late.