Anish Vij
The Duke of York will reportedly pay his accuser more than £12 million by using money from the Queen.
Yesterday (15 February) Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre reached a 'settlement in principle' in the civil sex claim filed in the US.
The royal was accused by Giuffre of forcing her to have sex at a property belonging to Ghislaine Maxwell when she was 17-years-old.
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Last month, Prince Andrew demanded a trial by jury to defend a civil sex case brought by Giuffre, according to court documents filed in New York.
However, the situation has now changed and 'a settlement in principle' has now been undertaken.
As reported by The Telegraph, they understand that the total amount that will go to Ms Giuffre and her charity will exceed £12 million.
Last month, Buckingham Palace announced that the duke would be defending the case as a private citizen', but a number of commentators have claimed that would not stop him having been helped along with money from the Queen’s private wealth.
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Andrew receives a Royal Navy pension and the Queen is also thought to fund her son from her £21.7-million-a-year Duchy of Lancaster income, but the figure she gives him is kept private.
David McClure, author of Royal Privilege: The Queen’s True Worth, said a settlement could be 'in the order of several million dollars'.
He told the PA news agency: “That raises the question: ‘does he have the money?'”
There had been reports Andrew had been trying to sell a chalet in the Swiss resort of Verbier which he bought for £13 million in 2014 with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.
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Mr McClure added: “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.”
He said if money did come from the Queen it's 'more than likely would have come from the Duchy of Lancaster, which is described as the Queen’s private estate'.
He added that the source of any settlement funds to Andrew is of 'tremendous public interest', and called for the royals to 'come clean and say where the money came from'.
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One of the documents submitted to the US court read: “Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement.
“The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed).
“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
“Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.
“It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years.
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"Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.
“He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”