The Prince Andrew deal enables the UK royals to be calm and move on

London: The agreement reached between Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre on Tuesday helps Britain’s monarchy to “move on,” just as Queen Elizabeth II marks her landmark 70th year on the throne, according to royal analysts.

Andrew, 61, has decided not to pursue a jury trial in the US civil case brought against him by Giuffre, who claims he sexually assaulted her in 2001, when she was 17 and considered a minor under American law.

Instead, he has promised to make a “significant payment” to a foundation founded by Giuffre that assists victims of human trafficking, and he will no longer be questioned under oath by her lawyers.

However, he continues to refute all the claims against him.

The decision is seen as safeguarding not only the prince from further harmful discoveries and attention, but also as limiting the British monarchy’s exposure to the years-long issue.

“There’s no question there’ll be a great sigh of relief in all the royal families tonight,” Roya Nikkhah, royal journalist at Britain’s Channel 4 News, said.

“The wider royal family, I believe, would have been as eager as Andrew not to see this go to trial,” she added.

Nikkhah, on the other hand, stated that the institution would recover from the scandal. “Over the years, the royal family has weathered many scandals.”

– ‘Infected’ –

As pressure mounted on the family, the Queen revoked her second, and rumoured favourite, son of his honorary military titles and philanthropic activities last month, leaving him with no public responsibilities.

Under apparent military pressure, the Duke of York, as he was formerly known, was stripped of his military titles and, in an extra humiliation, lost the use of the term “His Royal Highness.”

He is effectively removed from formal royal life as a result of the combined acts.

Andrew had already walked away from the spotlight after a disastrous 2019 television appearance in which he attempted to defend himself and justify his acquaintance with the late US businessman Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein committed suicide in prison while awaiting trial.

Penny Junor, author of several books on the royals, predicted that the monarchy would prefer this year’s attention to be “on the Queen and her triumphs, rather than on the other members of the family.”

“If Andrew steps out of the spotlight, if there’s no more discussion of it in the headlines… then I think the family — I think everybody — can go on,” she told AFP.

Majesty magazine’s Joe Little said the settlement was likely welcomed by other members of the royal family, but it did not exonerate the prince.

“I believe he will be forever stained by this affair,” he told Britain’s Press Association news agency.

“I just don’t think he’ll ever work as a working member of the royal family again.”

– Platinum Jubilee emphasis –

The Queen’s record-breaking reign will be celebrated in early June, with four days of national events planned to honour her Platinum Jubilee.

The celebrations, which include a military parade and music concert, street gatherings, a statewide “Big Jubilee Lunch,” and a “Platinum Pudding Competition,” are viewed as a critical opportunity to rekindle Britons’ affection for the institution.

Several scandals and disasters have rocked the royals in recent years, including the departure of Prince Harry and his bride Meghan Markle to the United States, where the couple publicly accused family members of bigotry.

The Queen then encountered health problems in October, causing her to spend the night in hospital as the handing of the royal baton to her son Charles, 73, approaches.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch recently expressed her “sincere wish” that Camilla, his wife, be acknowledged as Queen Consort in the future.

Throughout her decades-long reign, she has remained persistently popular despite major social and political upheavals, serving as a living link to Britain’s post-war and imperial history.

She has not, however, been immune to occasional criticism and gaffes, as as the time immediately following Princess Diana’s death, when she was viewed as out of touch with public mood.

In a book due out this year, Prince Harry, Charles and Diana’s youngest son, is expected to reveal new details about life inside the institution known colloquially as “The Firm.”

The Daily Mirror newspaper said this month, citing an alleged Harry acquaintance, that the book will “shock royals to their core.”

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