Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince, has yet to repay the reportedly borrowed 12 million euros from the British Royal Family used to settle with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse, The Sun reported.
For the 2022 settlement, the late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly stumped up 7 million euros, plus 3 million euros from Prince Philip’s estate a year after his death. Then-Prince Charles paid some 1.5 million euros, with several other royals also contributing, to stop Giuffre’s sexual abuse case against Andrew.
Citing a source, the report said the former Prince has not paid back a penny yet. The sources indicated that Andrew planned to use the proceeds from selling the 19 million euros property to repay his loan, which he reportedly took from his family to settle the claims made by Giuffre. However, his plan to sell his Swiss ski chalet to repay millions in loans collapsed after he reportedly made little to no profit from the sale. The chalet, located in the upscale Swiss resort of Verbier, was burdened with substantial mortgage debt.
Andrew paid back nothing
“As far as anyone knows, he still has not repaid a single penny of the millions he borrowed. The money from the Royal Family bought her silence but denied Virginia her day in court and the chance to openly challenge his account of what happened,” the report added, citing a source.
Royal Family saved Andrew?
According to the report, the Windsors agreed to a settlement, thinking that it would help draw a line under the scandal, ahead of the Platinum Jubilee in February 2022. The Royal Family, reportedly, decided to “take a little from here and a little from there”.
Queen Elizabeth II was very well aware that the issue wouldn’t be properly resolved during her lifetime, and that his brother, Charles, would have to deal with it after she died, said the source.
The Royal Family urged the then-Prince Andrew to settle, since they feared a repeat of his 2019 Newsnight interview, where he denied allegations of sexual assault by claiming that he was at a Pizza Express in Woking.
Giuffre’s allegations against Andrew
Giuffre, who was one of the most prominent victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring, wrote in her posthumous memoir that Epstein trafficked her and forced her to have sex with the former prince on three occasions, including one when she was 17.
Andrew, who reportedly claimed he never met Giuffre, still paid millions to settle the civil case, which ensured that he would not have to face Giuffre in a US court.
Writing of that settlement, Giuffre said: “After casting doubt on my credibility for so long – Prince Andrew’s team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me – the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well.”
Severed ties with Epstein: Andrew
The report suggests that Andrew hid the extent of his relationship with the late convicted sex offender, Epstein, from his family, who helped him pay the victim. He also later claimed that he cut ties with Epstein in 2010, after he was released from jail for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
However, the recently released documents by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) showed his correspondence with Epstein continued till late.
Prince Andrew stripped of title
Once the revelations were made public, King Charles III announced plans to strip Andrew of his titles and boot him out of his Royal Lodge residence in Windsor.
With the growing chatter over the Epstein files and several prominent names coming forward, it is yet to be seen whether Andrew will be investigated formally over the accusations that he shared confidential information with Epstein while working as a trade envoy.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.livemint.com ’
