THE Queen is helping Prince Andrew pay more than £12 million to Virginia Giuffre to settle the civil sex assault case against him, it has been reported.
The Duke of York has agreed to make a “substantial donation” to Giuffre’s charity after the pair agreed an undisclosed out-of-court settlement.
No detail has been disclosed with regard to the settlement and costs in the United States District Court case, but it has been reported he has agreed to pay an eight-figure sum and there has been speculation the Queen might help with costs from her private funds.
The Daily Telegraph reported that a deal was agreed at the weekend following at least 10 days of negotiations between the two sides.
The newspaper said the total amount to go to Giuffre and her charity exceeds £12m, and reported that part will be paid by the Queen.
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on Tuesday’s legal development, while Andrew’s representatives also declined to say how the donation to Giuffre’s charity would be funded.
Royal finances expert and author David McClure said there is “enormous public interest” in the sum and the source of the funding being disclosed, telling the PA news agency: “I really think for once the royal family should come clean and say where the money came from.”
Royal expert Adam Helliker told the Sun that the Queen had to contribute because Andrew "doesn't have any income".
He told the Sun: "No-one has that kind of money but his mother. Andrew is not close enough to the Prince of Wales for him to fund that kind of money. He doesn't have any income."
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Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, made a claim against Andrew for damages in her home country of the US, claiming she was trafficked by Epstein, Andrew’s friend, to have sex with the royal when she was 17, a minor under US law.
The settlement agreement states that Andrew will donate to Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights and that he has pledged to “demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein” by supporting the “fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims”.
Labour’s Rachael Maskell, who represents York Central, repeated a call made last month, saying Andrew should give up his association with the city out of respect.
She said: “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.”
Although the parties have settled the case, the agreement is not an admission of guilt from the duke and he has always strenuously denied the allegations against him.
Lisa Bloom, a lawyer representing a number of Epstein’s victims said she and her clients “salute Virginia’s stunning courage”, hailing the outcome as a “victory”.
In January, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would be defending the case “as a private citizen”.
He receives a Royal Navy pension and the Queen is also thought to fund him from her £21.7m a year Duchy of Lancaster income, but the figure she gives him is kept private.
An order published by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan in response to the settlement letter, stated that the “stipulation of dismissal” of the case must be filed by March 17, otherwise it “remains entirely possible that this action will be set for trial when previously indicated”.
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