Will Prince Andrew get away with his “abuse” of younger women?
Is jail the only way to create justice, or can the money be another way out to compensate a victim? It looks like Virginia Roberts Guiffre’s allegations towards Prince Andrew have finally come to an end, and not because the Prince had come clean.
Recently, a settlement was established between Guiffer’s lawyers & Prince Andrew. According to Guiffre when she was trafficked by Epstein, she was obligated to have sex with Prince Andrew at three different times. Nonetheless, the prince has denied every single allegation from her. He even denied knowing Guiffre when he was younger, even though there are pictures that say otherwise.
Not jail but a settlement
Although the prince never admitted any personal wrongdoing and he’s definitely not facing criminal charges, some symbolic punishment did fall over him. In January, Prince Andrew was taken away from his royal duties & military titles, also, his reputation became downright tarnished.
Decisions that are made when younger will always affect the future, and if you’re a royal and those decisions were crimes, nothing good can come out of it. Prince Andrew might be saved from jail but not from public scrutiny nor from paying an enormous bill.
The prince accepted that Guiffre is a victim of abuse and he’s paying an amount of £12 million to finally settle the case. Far from a bribe to Guiffre, a settlement is the least he could do after all the evidence that hangs over him and the null possibilities of him going to jail.
According to the British Finance ministry, no public funds were used for this settlement and the poor prince had to sell his £18 million ski chalet to pay the debt. A couple of millions shouldn’t affect a royal but could definitely benefit someone like Guiffre.
After all, Andrew said in a letter to the court, that he regretted his association with Epstein. However, let’s keep in mind he couldn’t do it at his questionable interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019. Honestly, keeping a low profile is the least Prince Andrew should do after paying Guiffre.
Did Prince Andrew get away?
Let’s be honest, Prince Andrew was never going to admit the crimes he committed when he was younger, nor receive the charges pressed over him. However, this case being so mediatic involving important “untouchable” figures, is definitely historic.
After cases like this, men would know they might get saved from jail but not from being exposed, which is definitely another punishment. Sexual violence towards women is something systematically reproduced at all levels, but the truth is that when the aggressor is privileged, justice looks even more distant.
So, having the record of a prince selling his belongings to pay a judicial debt, and a billionaire that died in jail, starts to slowly make a difference. If you’re thinking of justice under an exclusively punitive point of view, then the prince might have gotten away with it. Because he’s definitely not going to jail and not because of his innocence.
However, several positive things did happen after all mediation. First of all, Guiffre is now a millionaire in pounds and received a substantial donation to her charity for sex trafficking survivors.
According to Rainn.org, every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted, and not even half of the cases get to court, if they do, justice is still far. There’s certainly emotional damage that can’t be undone for Guiffre, and wounds that she got at a younger age that money cannot pay off. Yet, this settlement is something when there’s usually nothing other than pain for the victims.
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Do you think some justice was made for Guiffre? Tell us in the comments below!
