Prince Andrew settlement with Virginia Giuffre: UK royals face scrutiny over pay-out

Britain’s royal family is facing calls for transparency over Prince Andrew’s settlement with Virginia Giuffre, reported to be up to £12 million ($16.27 million).

Queen Elizabeth II is understood to have contributed to the sum paid to the Duke of York’s accuser to settle the civil sex assault claim against him.

A royal finances expert said the royals should “come clean” on the source of the money and called for the public to be told exactly how much of the monarch’s cash went towards the deal.

Facing a civil trial in the US, Andrew reached the out-of-court settlement, agreeing to make a “substantial donation” to his accuser’s charity. The royal “regrets his association” with convicted sex offender and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, according to a letter submitted to the US District Court.

Andrew, 61, was reported last month to have sold his beloved chalet in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier for an estimated £18 million to pay for a settlement and legal fees. He bought the luxury getaway for a reported £13 million in 2014 with his former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.

The palace in January announced that Prince Andrew would be defending the case “as a private citizen”, but several commentators claimed that would not stop him from being given money from the queen.

Prince Andrew receives a Royal Navy pension and the monarch is also thought to fund her son from her £21.7-million-a-year income from the Duchy of Lancaster — the private estate owned by the British sovereign. However, she is not required to make public how much she gives Prince Andrew.

David McClure, author of The Queen’s True Worth – Unravelling the public & private finances of Queen Elizabeth II, said a settlement could be “in the order of $7 million (£5.2 million)”. But several reports suggest the figure was more likely to be £12 million.

McClure told the PA news agency the settlement “raises the question: ‘does he have the money?'”

Referring to reports suggesting Andrew had sold his Verbier ski chalet, McClure said: “The very fact he had to sell, it does show he had some money but he didn’t have lots of money.

“So where does the money come from? I think more than likely the queen.”

McClure said if money did come from his mother it “more than likely would have come from the Duchy of Lancaster”, and not from public funds given to the monarchy under the Sovereign Grant.

He said the source of any settlement funds given to Prince Andrew is of “tremendous public interest”, and called for the royals to “come clean and say where the money came from”.

“I just would argue in view of the enormous public interest in it, in view of the fact that Prince Andrew is a public figure, he was in line to the throne, I really think that they should disclose the amount of money and where it’s come from,” he said. McClure said he was “not optimistic” the information will be laid bare for public scrutiny and pointed to the “long history of secrecy to do with anything involving the royal finances”.

Another royal expert said it is likely the public will “never know what contribution came from the queen to the Duke of York” to help with the settlement and legal costs.

“Who else is going to support him other than the queen?” Joe Little, of Majesty magazine, said. “There’s no reason for the queen not to help him out financially as his mother, rather than head of state.”

It is not known whether Prince Andrew will join royals at a remembrance service in honour of Prince Philip scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey in March. There is also uncertainty over whether he will be present at the queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.

Labour MP Rachael Maskell, who represents the constituency of York Central, said the Duke of York should be stripped of his royal title over the sex scandal.

While she welcomed Prince Andrew’s acknowledgement of regret for his friendship with Epstein, Ms Maskell said his delay in doing so and his denial that he had ever met Ms Giuffre had “been a source of deep hurt and embarrassment to many people” in York.

“To demonstrate his seriousness in this endeavour, and his respect for those affected by abuse and the people of our city, I would ask that his first act of contrition is to confirm his support for the withdrawal of his ducal title,” she said.

Prince Andrew stepped down from royal duties in November 2019 following uproar over an interview he gave to the BBC, in which he expressed no remorse for Epstein’s victims.

Last month he lost his military titles and royal patronages as he faced the US civil action over allegations he had sexually assaulted Ms Giuffre. He has consistently denied the claims. The queen’s son agreed to stop using the style His Royal Highness in an official capacity.