Queen Elizabeth Will Be Asked to Help Pay for Son Prince Andrew's Settlement With Virginia Roberts Giuffre
Queen Elizabeth II will be asked to help Prince Andrew to fund his multi-million dollar settlement with Virginia Roberts Giuffre if the Duke of York agrees.
Reports noted that the cost of the settlement could be around $6.794 million, with the Queen already funding the Duke of York's legal battle, according to an Insider report.
Andrew is also selling his $23 million Swiss Ski chalet to fund some of the fees. The property was owned by him with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
It was reported that Andrew is trying to speed up the sale of the property he bought in 2014. He had a dispute on the property with its former owner, Isabella de Rouvre.
de Rouvre claimed that the Duke of York still owed her £6.6million after allegedly missing the final installment for the property on Jan. 1, 2020.
The former owner agreed to drop the legal proceedings when it was shown that the property was close to selling for the asking price of £17.3million.
The Yorks are seen to repay the debt once the sale of the home goes through.
The monarch has been funding Andrew's legal fees since February when he first appointed a solicitor. The Queen's funds were sourced from the income from her private Duchy of Lancaster estate, according to a Daily Mail report.
Prince Andrew's Case Against Virginia Roberts Giuffre
Giuffre alleges that in 2001 when she was 17, she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.
She noted that she was trafficked to have sex with the prince on three occasions, once in Maxwell's house in Belgravia. A picture was taken wherein the prince's hand was around Giuffre's waist.
The second time was said to be at Epstein's mansion in New York, while the third occasion was on Epstein's private island, Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to The Guardian report.
Meanwhile, the Queen's son consistently denied the allegations against him.
Andrew's lawyers have attempted to get the case thrown out on the grounds that Giuffre does not live in the United States.
They had also argued that the court summons had not been properly served.
One royal expert and author, Robert Lacey, said that he is quite sure that there would be some settlement out of court.
Catherine Mayer, the author of a biography of Prince Charles and co-founder of the Women's Equality party, noted that Buckingham Palace did "something very stupid" when the case first hit the spotlight in 2011.
Mayer said that the problem was that there had been no comprehensive strategy across the royal family on what to do.
Lacey also cited the instances when Andrew consorted with a couple whose lifestyle revolved around sexual exploitation for 10 years, noting the private plane nicknamed "Lolita Express," as well as inviting Epstein and Maxwell to stay at Balmoral.
Andrew is currently awaiting a ruling from Judge Lewis Kaplan to see if he can have the civil case against him dismissed.
READ MORE : Queen Elizabeth II Warns British Media to Stay Away From Balmoral - And Her Son Prince Andrew
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Prince Andrew to sell $32M Swiss chalet as Queen not paying legal fees - from Today Show Australia
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!