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.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
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Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
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'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The years Ramadan fell in May
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