Prince AndrewandVirginia Giuffrereached an out-of-court settlement in her sexual assault lawsuit against the royal — and his motherQueen Elizabethreportedly helped with the payment.
The Telegraphreports that the total amount is upwards of $16 million and includes a contribution from the monarch from her private Duchy of Lancaster estate, which means it wouldn’t be coming from taxpayers' money.
When reached for comment, Buckingham Palace told PEOPLE they “have never commented on the financial aspects of the Duke’s private legal affairs and won’t be now.”
Prince Andrew; Virginia Roberts Giuffre.Alexander Koerner/Getty; Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty
Prince Andrew announced in Nov. 2019 that he would “step back from public dutiesfor the foreseeable future” following hisbombshell interview with the BBCabout his ties to Epstein. Last month, the Duke of York was stripped of hisroyal patronages and military titlesamid the lawsuit.
Although Prince Andrew will not attend official public events, he is still expected to attend family events. This might include the Service of Thanksgiving for Andrew’s fatherPrince Philip, who died in April 2021 at age 99, which will take place at Westminster Abbey on March 29.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Andrew’s younger daughter,Princess Eugenie(who traveled to California and attended the Super Bowl over the weekend with cousinPrince Harry), founded The Anti-Slavery Collective in 2017 with her friend Julia de Boinville to combat modern slavery and trafficking.
Prince Andrew.Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images
Despite the settlement of the lawsuit, Prince Andrew’s military affiliations and patronages will not be returned to him.
He will likely retain his title as the Duke of York and keep his place in the line of succession to the throne, which is currently ninth behindPrince HarryandMeghan Markle’s two children. However, he will no longer use the style “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity.
source: people.com
