Pressure mounted yesterday for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was Prince Andrew, to answer to the police and Parliament amid allegations he shared confidential reports with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
King Charles did not contribute to the £12 million payout made by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to settle a case brought against him by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, it is today claimed.
Buckingham Palace has reportedly moved to distance Charles from the payout, denying reports he contributed £1.5 million of the total payout to Virginia Giuffre. Ms Giuffre accused the former duke of having sex with her, aged 17, after she was trafficked to London by Epstein.
Andrew, who has denied wrongdoing and said that he did not remember meeting Ms Giuffre but paid an undisclosed sum, understood to be $15 million (then worth around £12 million), to settle a civil sexual assault lawsuit in 2022.
Reports yesterday claimed Andrew, 65, was loaned the money from members of the Royal Family, including Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth II. Now though, a source close to the monarch has told The Times Charles, 77, did not stump up the reported £1.5 million to the payout.
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The report in The Sun yesterday said around £7 million came from the late Queen as a loan, with a further £3 million from the estate of Andrew’s father Prince Philip. A source told the publication: “They bankrolled his pay-off to his accuser Virginia Giuffre. They bought his lies and helped him try and make the problem go away. His own mother, the late Queen, was left heartbroken by the scandal.”
Giuffre, 41, died by suicide at her home in Western Australia in April without a will, igniting a bitter legal fight over assets which had been speculated to be worth £16 million. Details of the figure paid and how Andrew funded the settlement have never been revealed by the palace.
Until last year, the King was giving Andrew a multimillion-pound allowance to help fund his lifestyle and the estimated annual security bill of £3 million required after his police protection was removed by the Home Office.
Pressure mounted yesterday for Andrew to answer to the police and Parliament amid allegations he shared confidential reports with Epstein. The King has made clear his “profound concern” over the allegations of misconduct against Andrew, with Buckingham Palace saying it will “stand ready to support” the police if approached.
Thames Valley Police have held discussions with specialists from the Crown Prosecution Service but have not confirmed whether a criminal investigation will be opened.
Labour’s Sarah Owen made the call as MPs pressed for further details on the publication of documents relating to Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the US ambassador in the Commons. The reignited crisis has engulfed the monarchy and Westminster and shows little sign of abating as US authorities continue to release the Epstein files.
