Prince Andrew's Jeffrey Epstein Lawsuit Officially Over as Pay Out Made

Prince Andrew has paid his Jeffrey Epstein accuser an out-of-court settlement, calling time on a lawsuit that threatened to gate-crash Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee year.

The Duke of York agreed a way out of the bombshell case (in which he was accused of rape and sexual assault) in February when he pledged to pay an undisclosed sum to Virginia Giuffre.

That money has now been transferred and court filings confirm the end of what was set to be a damaging trial for the reputation of the British monarchy.

Prince Andrew has consistently denied all the allegations against him.

A court filing, seen by Newsweek, reads: "Plaintiff Virginia L. Giuffre and Defendant Prince Andrew, Duke of York hereby stipulate to the dismissal of this action, with prejudice. Each party to bear his/her own costs."

It comes after unconfirmed reports in The Sun that Andrew was given a short term loan by family members of around $9 million (£7 million) to cover the cost of the pay out while he waits for the sale to go through on a ski chalet.

The U.K. newspaper reported Prince Charles covered most of the money while Queen Elizabeth II also contributed.

Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent, wrote on Twitter: "Securing this document has cost the royal family millions of pounds.

"We can speculate as to the source of the money, but we don't know for sure. We never will."

The queen marked 70 years on the throne in February and there will be major celebrations over four days in June, including a military parade, pageant and star-studded concert at the palace.

Andrew's lawsuit had looked like it would cast a shadow over the celebrations, with the trial originally expected in July or shortly after.

However, the unprecedented royal sexual abuse lawsuit came to a halt after the two sides issued a statement through the court in February in which Prince Andrew vowed to support the fight against sex trafficking.

The queen's favorite son, however, did not concede to any of the allegations made against him during the case.

Giuffre's complaint had detailed how she was forced to have sex with him in London, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands while she was a 17-year-old sex trafficking victim in 2001.

Prince Andrew denied her account and the public are still without a ruling on whose version of events is correct.

February's statement, seen by Newsweek, reads: "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.

"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."