Royal Family Provided £12 Million Loan to Prince Andrew for Giuffre Settlement
Prince Andrew, also known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was reportedly loaned a substantial sum of £12 million by senior members of the Royal Family to settle a sexual abuse case with accuser Virginia Giuffre. According to recent disclosures, the late Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, and the-then Prince Charles contributed to this financial arrangement in 2022.
Breakdown of the Royal Contributions
The loan was structured with significant contributions from key royal figures. Queen Elizabeth II is believed to have provided £7 million, while Prince Philip's estate contributed £3 million, despite his passing a year earlier. King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, reportedly paid £1.5 million, with other unnamed royals also adding funds to reach the total amount.
A source close to the matter stated: "The money from the Royal Family bought her silence but denied Virginia her day in court and the chance to openly challenge his account of what happened." This settlement was strategically timed ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in February 2022, aiming to mitigate public scandal.
Background of the Allegations and Legal Proceedings
Virginia Giuffre had accused Prince Andrew of sexual abuse on three occasions, alleging she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and forced into encounters, with the first incident occurring when she was 17 years old. Her claims were supported by a photograph showing Andrew with his arm around her at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's associate who is now serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
Prince Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In March 2022, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre, reportedly worth £12 million. This agreement prevented him from having to testify in a US court, alleviating concerns within the monarchy about the potential fallout from a trial, especially after his controversial 2019 Newsnight interview where he defended his innocence.
Impact and Aftermath of the Settlement
The settlement imposed a one-year gag order on Giuffre, restricting her from speaking publicly about the case. However, she later authored a book detailing her experiences, which was published posthumously after her death by suicide in April last year at the age of 41.
The source further revealed: "They bankrolled his pay-off to his accuser Virginia Giuffre. They bought his lies and helped him try and make the problem go away. His own mother, the late Queen, was left heartbroken by the scandal. She could not face banishing Andrew, who was still her beloved son. She knew this was a problem that his brother Charles would tackle once she was gone—it only pushed the scandal down the road."
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on these reports when approached by media outlets. The settlement has sparked discussions about accountability and transparency within the Royal Family, highlighting the ongoing challenges in addressing such sensitive legal and personal matters.
