NEW YORK: Britain’s Prince Andrew has settled a lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre accusing the Duke of York of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager and also being abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The settlement, including an undisclosed payment, was revealed in a joint filing in Manhattan federal court, where Giuffre had sued Queen Elizabeth’s second son last August.

It spares Andrew from a potentially embarrassing series of disclosures and accusations in the months leading up to and during a trial, which was slated to begin late this year.

Lawyers for Giuffre and Andrew said the prince intends to make a substantial donation to Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.

The prince “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,” the filing said.