Current Affairs

[Ray B]

Gold digger or not I still say he’s guilty as sin otherwise why pay out a fortune if your innocent.

Could be someone lent on him and said "Andrew kill this thing now"

[Stephen]

Mummy probably had a word in his ear.

[towny44]

Just playing devils advocate but can anyone find details of the crime that Andrew has been accused of?
If it’s sleeping with a seventeen year old, then that’s not a crime in the U.K. unless without consent.
Has he been accused of rape?

I wonder how many single men would not be tempted by the offer of a free night with a young willing escort?

[Manoverboard]

Nope .... can't think of anybody

[barney]

If, as she said at the outset, that she was not going to settle out of court and wanted her day in court why has she now settled? In my opinion either she was "made an offer she could not refuse" and/or her legal team were not convinced that she would win.

As to why Andrew made the offer - probably cost less that a protracted court case in America.

Nail on head David.
He’s already been convicted of numerous crimes in the court of public opinion.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Innocent until proven guilty? So why pay up? No smoke without fire.

[oldbluefox]

If, as she said at the outset, that she was not going to settle out of court and wanted her day in court why has she now settled? In my opinion either she was "made an offer she could not refuse" and/or her legal team were not convinced that she would win.

As to why Andrew made the offer - probably cost less that a protracted court case in America.

And it's over and done with (apart from the media who will make up what they don't know from 'reliable' sources) - get her off his back.

[barney]

Innocent until proven guilty? So why pay up? No smoke without fire.

We all know that many corporations choose to settle rather than the public embarrassment of going through the court system and the negative publicity associated.
I see this as a similar situation.
He’s not actually been accused of any crime but the general public, as you have, assume guilt of something.
Heads he loses.
Tails he loses.
Actually, he’s already lost.

[Kendhni]

If, as she said at the outset, that she was not going to settle out of court and wanted her day in court why has she now settled? In my opinion either she was "made an offer she could not refuse" and/or her legal team were not convinced that she would win.

As to why Andrew made the offer - probably cost less that a protracted court case in America.

Andrew also claimed he wanted his day in court (while trying to avoid being served).

There is probably a lot more about this to come out .. a lot of papers and evidence has been gathered (on both sides), and many eyeballs will have seen much of it already. In the UK he would probably have been fine, but this was not the UK and, as the pundits on this board often say, you should obey the rules of the country you are in. He didn't, therefore should face a trial and not be allowed to buy his way out of it.

His legal team handled this appallingly ... they tried victim blaming and then just lying through their teeth (obviously from the Johnson school of defence). As many commentators have said this morning, if he had have been fully open and honest at the start and admitted to events of the day, he probably would have walked away from this reasonably unscathed (possibly with just a few more 'Randy Andy' headlines).

[Mervyn and Trish]

You're right Barney. I have made an assumption. But when his defence was he'd never met her and then he did everything he could to find a legal loophole and then he said he was going to clear his name and then he stumped up all makes me suspicious. At the very least he's guilty of very poor judgement in the company he kept. I admire what he did in the Falklands but since then his actions have smacked of someone with a huge sense of entitlement. I have no sympathy for him. He's lucky he, or his Mum, has the resources to make it go away.

[Kendhni]

And now Prince Charles is coming under fire (cash for honours) ... you would almost think this is all being orchestrated.

[oldbluefox]

Is it Prince Charles or The Prince's Trust under investigation? I thought it was the latter.

[Manoverboard]

It should be because the Prince of Wales is only a figurehead, he has no day to day involvement.

Enter the Twitterettes and he'll be hung, drawn and quartered by supper time

[Kendhni]

Is it Prince Charles or The Prince's Trust under investigation? I thought it was the latter.

Interestingly the first headlines were Prince Charles, then the Princes Trust, then the Princes Foundation and now just Prince Charles charity ????

[Manoverboard]

For completeness ... Prince Charles's Charity

[Onelife]

Innocent until proven guilty? So why pay up? No smoke without fire.

We all know that many corporations choose to settle rather than the public embarrassment of going through the court system and the negative publicity associated.
I see this as a similar situation.
He’s not actually been accused of any crime but the general public, as you have, assume guilt of something.
Heads he loses.
Tails he loses.
Actually, he’s already lost.

“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”.

So, he accepts that Virginia was abused but some on this forum still don’t believe him…he just can’t win can he

[Onelife]

Is it Prince Charles or The Prince's Trust under investigation? I thought it was the latter.

Interestingly the first headlines were Prince Charles, then the Princes Trust, then the Princes Foundation and now just Prince Charles charity ????

All we need now is for Catharine to come out and say she wants a divorce from William and the monarchy will be bankrupt.

[Mervyn and Trish]

So, he accepts that Virginia was abused

Yeah. Just not by him. Because he's never met her.

[oldbluefox]

So, he accepts that Virginia was abused but some on this forum still don’t believe him…he just can’t win can he

I presume that was all part of a prepared statement agreed as part of the settlement.

[Onelife]

So, he accepts that Virginia was abused but some on this forum still don’t believe him…he just can’t win can he

I presume that was all part of a prepared statement agreed as part of the settlement.

By Him...one would presume

[oldbluefox]

By both parties.

He was extremely foolish in his position to get himself tangled up in the Epstein scenario. How guilty he was we will never know but I also have misgivings over the description of Ms Guiffre as an innocent 17 year old child who was trafficked into the UK for the purposes of satisfying Andrew's fantasies.
It's hardly the same as Eastern European children trafficked in the back of a truck and then literally enslaved by their gangmasters and very badly treated.

[Onelife]

So, he accepts that Virginia was abused

Yeah. Just not by him. Because he's never met her.

…because he was having a family pizza at the time…bloody expensive Pizza wasn’t it?

[Mervyn and Trish]

So, he accepts that Virginia was abused

Yeah. Just not by him. Because he's never met her.

…because he was having a family pizza at the time…bloody expensive Pizza wasn’t it?

I bet that made him sweat!

[towny44]

You're right Barney. I have made an assumption. But when his defence was he'd never met her and then he did everything he could to find a legal loophole and then he said he was going to clear his name and then he stumped up all makes me suspicious. At the very least he's guilty of very poor judgement in the company he kept. I admire what he did in the Falklands but since then his actions have smacked of someone with a huge sense of entitlement. I have no sympathy for him. He's lucky he, or his Mum, has the resources to make it go away.

Merv, just what was he guilty of? Having sex with someone over 16 is not illegal and I dont believe rape has been mentioned at all, so possibly a lack of judgement, not sure that that is sufficient for the comments you, keith and Ken have made. Or am I just too broad minded.

[Kendhni]

So, he accepts that Virginia was abused

Yeah. Just not by him. Because he's never met her.

…because he was having a family pizza at the time…bloody expensive Pizza wasn’t it?

The price would be about right if it was from Salt Bea