Observers: Opinion of Prince Andrew Permanently Hurt by Sex Case

Observers: Opinion of Prince Andrew Permanently¹ Hurt by Sex Case

Prince Andrew's decision to settle a claim that he sexually abused an underage woman years ago may bring an end to his legal difficulties. It will not, however, repair the damage done to his reputation. It likely means he will never return to a public, royal life.

The settlement by the 61-year-old Duke of York includes a payment to Virginia Giuffre. She is a woman who had accused him of sexually abusing her when she was young. The amount of the payment was not made public.

The settlement was revealed on Tuesday in a court filing in New York City. It said that the prince had never meant to insult Giuffre.

That marked an unusual change. The prince's lawyers had accused Giuffre of seeking money with a "baseless" claim. Andrew has said as recently as late January that he wanted the case to be heard before a United States jury.

Royal experts said after the settlement that Andrew would likely not be able to return to public life as a member of royalty³. Britons who spoke⁴ to Reuters said the case had done serious damage to the whole royal family.

Insurance worker Anthony Joho said the situation had destroyed the reputation of a family that represents the nation.

Once you see the real human being, "it's hard to maintain their actual role as a royal family," he said.

At the heart of the case was the financier and sex offender⁵ Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in jail in 2019, and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell was recently found guilty in the U.S. of sexually abusing young, underage women.

Royal expert Penny Junor told Reuters that Andrew's failure to show any support for Epstein's victims had been unforgivable. "

He came across as a really unsympathetic figure," she said.

Andrew has always denied that he forced Giuffre to have sex more than 20 years ago at the London home of Maxwell, Epstein's home in Manhattan, and Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin² Islands. The prince did not admit guilt⁶ in the settlement.

In 2019, he gave a disastrous⁷ interview to the BBC, saying he had no memory of Giuffre. He also said he did not regret his friendship with Epstein because of all the business people he had met.

Fall from grace

In January, Andrew lost his military links and royal patronages, and gave up his "Royal Highness" title.

Andrew's problems have come at a difficult time for the British royal family. Among other things, it has been called racist⁹ by the queen's grandson Prince Harry¹⁰ and his wife Meghan.

Royal experts say the Queen and senior members of the royal family still receive great respect from the British public.

But public opinion studies already show that support for the royals among younger people has decreased a lot. Many are questioning how the prince will pay Giuffre.

Graham Smith is the head of the anti-monarchy¹¹ group Republic.

"There are lots of questions about Andrew's personal wealth and how he manages to fund the lifestyle he leads," he said.

Buckingham Palace did not comment on the settlement.

Words in This Story

reputation –n. the common opinion that people have about someone or something : the way in which people think of someone or something

baseless –adj. not based on facts; without a good reason

patronage⁸ –n. money and support that is given to an artist, organization, or member of a royal family

monarchy –n. a form of government in which a country is ruled by a monarch; a ruling or representative group that includes a king or a queen

1 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

2 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

3 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 offender   

n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者

参考例句：

• They all sued out a pardon for an offender.他们请求法院赦免一名罪犯。
• The authorities often know that sex offenders will attack again when they are released.当局一般都知道性犯罪者在获释后往往会再次犯案。

6 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

7 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

8 patronage   

n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场

参考例句：

• Though it was not yet noon,there was considerable patronage.虽然时间未到中午，店中已有许多顾客惠顾。
• I am sorry to say that my patronage ends with this.很抱歉，我的赞助只能到此为止。

9 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

10 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

11 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。