Karl Stefanovic slams Prince Andrew: ‘He is disgusting’

Karl Stefanovic and Ally Langdon have slammed Prince Andrew on-air after the royal’s sex abuse lawsuit was settled overnight.

Today show hosts Karl Stefanovic and Ally Langdon have slammed Prince Andrew on-air after the royal’s sex abuse lawsuit was settled overnight.

In a stunning development, Prince Andrew has sensationally chosen to avoid court and instead settled with his accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleged that he raped and abused her when she was 17.

The settlement has spared the royal a humiliating court battle, and awarded Guiffre a top-secret sum estimated to be up to $26.5m.

Langdon said the news was evidence of “a system that is absolutely broken.”

“We have talked about, the last couple of days, what it takes for a women to come forward,” she said. “We see the prosecution rates and what happens to these women when they are on the stand and what they wear and what they said.

“They get slut-shamed and everything else that goes with it.

“We need to be able to do more where these women are protected so we can have more women come forward, and can see more convictions.”

Karl Stefanovic labelled Prince Andrew “disgusting” on The Today Show.

“This guy, whatever he has done in his life, he was best mates with a trafficker. He is disgusting,” said Stefanovic, referring to Prince Andrew’s controversial connection to deceased convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

“It is disgusting. He can pay out the money so he’s fine - whatever, it’s gone.”

Langdon then pointed out how difficult the court process must be for women who report sexual abuse to the police.

“You have to tell your story multiple times, in court or by video link and if (the case) is thrown out you get to do it again. Reliving it over and over … there has to be a system in place where women are protected,” she said.

Andrew has reached an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre. Picture: AFP

The Today hosts’ fiery words against Prince Andrew come as columnist Piers Morgan declared the royal “finished” for dodging a jury trial to fight the allegations.

“We don’t know how much Andrew’s paid Giuffre, though it will be many millions of dollars, including a substantial donation to her charity in support of victims’ rights,” Morgan writes.

“But we do know that by paying a massive cheque to avoid a showdown in court, he’s confirmed himself to be a snivelling little coward whose denials and demands weren’t worth the paper they were written on.

“And we also know that by doing so, he has destroyed what’s left of his shattered reputation.”

A joint letter submitted to the US district court announcing the settlement said the prince “intends to make a substantial donation” to Ms Giuffre’s charity for victim’s rights – and that he regrets his association with convicted paedophile Epstein.

“Prince Andrew 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 letter read.

“Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.”