Prince Andrew branded a ‘fool’ for settling sex abuse case

This week Ms Guiffre, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking ring, said she ‘may have made a mistake’ in claiming she was forced to have sex with Mr Dershowitz when she was underage. She dropped a defamation case Tuesday she had brought against Mr Dershowitz in 2019 with no financial payment made to either side.Ms Guiffre said: ‘It was a very stressful and traumatic environment, and Mr Dershowitz has from the beginning consistently denied these allegations.’I now recognize I may have made a mistake in identifying Mr Dershowitz.’Her words drew an end to eight years of claims and counterclaims between the two.Ms Guiffre’s admission sparked ire from a source close to Mr Dershowitz, who said: ‘How can someone be ‘mistaken’ about something so serious?’READ MORE: I’m A Celeb’s Mike Tindall dubbed ‘hell of a party animal’ Prince Andrew settled with Ms Guiffre out of court (Image: PA) Prince Andrew has denied all accusations against him (Image: GETTY)Another source said that Epstein could have falsely identified the actual person to Ms Guiffre and that it was someone else.They said it was ‘inconceivable’ Mr Dershowitz actually took part in the abuse.The source told MailOnline: ‘The credibility issue is central here.’Andrew is a fool for settling his case. He has got to be wondering why he did it.’DON’T MISSKate will honour late Queen in ITV Christmas Carol special [REPORT]Queen put foot down on Sussexes’ plan to avoid Wessex-like ‘disaster’ [INSIGHT]Meghan accused of ‘showing off’ as new crown cypher emerges on letter [LIVE] Prince Andrew has withdrawn from public life (Image: EXPRESS)Mark Stephens, a media lawyer at the London-based law firm Howard Kennedy, said regardless of any admission made by Ms Guiffre, it means little for the Duke of York.He told the Telegraph: ‘I think the problem is that once you’ve handed over a few million, there’s no way back from that.’This is a major concession by Virginia Giuffre, which does go to her credibility.’Had anyone chosen to take the same route and provoke a defamation action like Dershowitz did, it would have given them a clear path to vindication.’Of course, the problem is that no one else did.”He added: ‘Dershowitz stands as a sole individual who appears to have vindicated his reputation against these allegations. The other men have gone down like bowling pins.’A spokesperson for the Duke of York has declined to comment.