The Queen is likely to foot the bill for disgraced son Prince Andrew after he agreed to settle Virginia Giuffre‘s sex abuse lawsuit.
While the 61-year-old royal will no longer face a US jury after reaching an out-of-court settlement, the settlement amount is believed to be more than £12m, as per the Independent.
The total amount reportedly includes a £2 million charitable donation and legal costs on both sides. However, the big question has been how the Queen’s son will pay this amount with royal critics and experts calling for the monarchy to ‘come clean’ about whether Prince Andrew will receive any kind of help when paying the settlement.
Buckingham Palace is yet to comment on the matter, but reports suggest that Andrew has been forced to sell his ski chalet in the Swiss resort of Verbier, which is worth £17 million. While the royal family will likely face the fury of the public if the Queen were to help out, British taxpayers may not have to worry about footing the bill for an alleged sex offender as the Queen has her own private income that she utilises to support various members of her family, royal experts explain.
Prince Andrew’s fall from grace has been swift. He was stripped of his honorary military titles and charitable roles last month and has even gone on to lose the ‘His Royal Highness’ title.
While Andrew has denied having ever met Giuffre, despite photographic evidence which he claims is doctored, pressure has been mounting from the royal family to bring the sex assault case to a close as it threatens to overshadow the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
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