Prince William and Charles are said to be ‘absolutely furious’ with Andrew over his mounting legal bills, sources claim.
The pair are reportedly fuming over reports the Queen could be asked to help fund any potential settlement reached between Andrew and his rape accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
Ms Giuffre, then Miss Roberts, has accused the Duke of York of sexually abusing her when she was 17.
The now 38-year-old alleges that she was trafficked by billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with Andrew on three occasions in 2001.
Andrew vehemently and ‘unequivocally’ denies all the allegations and has accused Ms Giuffre of seeking ‘another payday at his expense’ in a more than decade-long effort to profit from her claims against the disgraced financier and his associates.
He has attempted to get the case thrown out and is now waiting on tenter hooks to see if a New York judge decides the civil lawsuit she is pursuing should go to trial.
Although Andrew wants to ‘clear his name’, his lawyers are said to be keeping the settlement option ‘on the table’ due to the negative impact a court case could have on the reputation of the Royal Family.
If Andrew does decide to offer Ms Giuffre a payoff, the Queen could be asked to contribute alongside his own input, with the sum expected to exceed $5million (£3.7million), The Telegraph reports.
According to the newspaper, the Queen has been contributing towards the duke’s legal fees since he first appointed a lawyer last February after his car crash Newsnight interview, in which he showed no regret over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The funds reportedly come from her private Duchy of Lancaster estate – which reportedly recently increased by £1.5million to more than £23million.
However, one source told the Daily Mirror that Andrew is ‘meeting all the costs himself’, adding: ‘He needs to raise cash fast to pay bills which are increasing by the day.’
The same source said it was unlikely the Queen would agree to bailout her son if a settlement is reached.
They are quoted as saying: ‘If there was the potential to settle, well, that is an option, but it is in no doubt that the Queen would not assist him in doing so.’
Buckingham Palace have declined to comment on the monarch’s involvement.
Prince William and Charles are said to be furious over the spiralling costs of Andrew’s legal battle and any suggestion the Queen should help pay.
A source said: ‘They are both of the opinion that Andrew can sort out his own mess.’
The duke is reportedly trying to sell the £17million Swiss chalet he and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson bought in 2014 to help pay fees associated with the case.
But even if he raises the funds for a settlement, Andrew faces another hurdle.
Reports suggest Ms Giuffre is unlikely to accept a financial settlement because she wants to send a message that anyone accused of preying on young girls will face the full force of the law.
Andrew is said to be plotting as desperate last-ditch attempt to have the case dismissed.
His legal team is arguing that Ms Giuffre cannot sue because she is not a resident in the US.
A judge has already decided there is no case to answer on the ‘domicile argument’ over Ms Giuffre’s residency in Australia .
But a source told the Daily Mirror that Andrew’s legal team ‘are not taking this lying down’ and believe ‘they have a genuine argument to get this thrown out’.
If the decision goes against him, Andrew could be looking at the prospect of a jury trial as early as September this year. Before then, both the duke and Ms Giuffre would submit to questioning under oath by opposing lawyers.
Any trial and its build-up would run the risk of overshadowing the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, incurring even more reputational damage to the Royal Family.
Today, a former school friend of Ms Giuffre and fellow victim of Epstein recalled Ms Giuffre telling her of a night she allegedly had sex with the duke.
Carolyn Andriano, who gave evidence at Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial, wavered her right to anonymity in a bombshell interview with the Daily Mail.
She claims Ms Giuffre told her she went for dinner with Andrew and had sex with him in 2001.
Recalling the conversation she said: ‘I asked her if she’d been to the palace.
‘And she said “I got to sleep with him”. I said “What? You’re f****** with me” and she said “no, I got to sleep with him”.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
from News – Metro https://ift.tt/3naYL2n
0 Comments