Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, Duke of York attend Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse on June 22, 2017 in Ascot, England. (Picture by Chris Jackson/Getty Pictures)
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles reportedly “put substantial stress” on Prince Andrew to settle his case with Virginia Giuffre as a way to keep away from a probably explosive civil trial over allegations that he sexually abused the American girl when she was a youngster being trafficked by infamous intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The queen and Charles might not have achieved as a lot as they hoped to place this scandal behind them, given information that the 95-year-old monarch helps her second son pay his settlement with Giuffre, which The Telegraph stated is believed to be round £12 million, equal to about $14 million in American dollars.
The queen privately funded the Duke of York’s authorized struggle with Giuffre “and can partly fund the settlement,” the Telegraph reported. She’s doing that to permit “her son — and all the royal household – to attract a line underneath the case that had threatened to overshadow her Platinum Jubilee yr,” The Telegraph stated.
The concept the queen has bailed out Andrew financially in his settlement over intercourse abuse fees doesn’t sit effectively with many within the U.Okay. Critics on social media stated the queen’s bail-out permits Andrew to keep away from accountability in a public trial in america, as he has lengthy prevented being questioned by the FBI of their investigation of Epstein’s intercourse trafficking operation. The queen’s bail-out additionally raises ongoing questions concerning the objective of a royal household within the twenty first century.
“The royal household have — at each stage of those shabby, squalid, dishonorable proceedings — protected, lined up, and in the end paid for Andrew Windsor’s conduct. His shame is their shame,” tweeted a resident of Edinburgh, Scotland.
“For the reason that royal household can discover 12 million from ‘private’ funds to settle then certainly they will afford to assist themselves with out utilizing our taxes,” tweeted one other particular person. “I don’t have 12 million in my financial institution however I’m paying for the maintenance of folks that do.”
Somebody from Liverpool, England stated much more pointedly:
Anybody defending the Royal Household for something in any respect after this….hit me up I’ll inform you why you’re a mind useless moron who excuses them leeching off the British public and excusing alleged intercourse offenders. https://t.co/N98MKUduD5
— Adam 🇪🇺 (@AdamDav92) February 15, 2022
The anti-monarchy group, Republic, expressed outraged that the queen is paying to make sure that “her son doesn’t face questions in court docket for alleged legal conduct.” The group additionally stated the settlement leaves many unanswered questions on “Whether or not Andrew is responsible of that alleged legal conduct and, if not, why he agreed to the settlement. #AbolishTheMonarchy.”
Based on critics, the royal household has lengthy enabled Andrew’s misconduct by, amongst different issues, giving him entry to royal housing and a tax-free $323,000 annual stipend, and by permitting him to characterize them and the British authorities regardless of his well-known vanity, previous scandals and his identified associations with Epstein and different disreputable worldwide figures.
The queen requested Andrew to step away from royal duties in 2019, after his disastrous BBC interview about Giuffre’s allegations and his friendship with Epstein, however she solely took motion final month, after he misplaced his bid to have Giuffre’s lawsuit in a U.S. federal court docket dismissed, and stripped Andrew of his treasured army titles, patronages and HRH standing.
With the settlement, Andrew didn’t need to admit to Giuffre’s particular allegations. Giuffre, who now lives in Australia, stated Epstein and his not too long ago convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, compelled her to have intercourse with Andrew thrice in 2001 when she was 17. Epstein was discovered useless in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell whereas awaiting trial on intercourse trafficking fees. Maxwell was convicted of intercourse trafficking and different counts in a trial in December.
Andrew’s settlement with Giuffre means he had to surrender his vehement and puzzling protection that he by no means met her regardless of a well-known photograph displaying the 2 in Maxwell’s London townhouse. His authorized crew additionally needed to abandon what critics known as their “victim-blaming” arguments that Giuffre’s lawsuit was “baseless” and supposed to attain a “payday” at Andrew’s expense and of the royal household. The Telegraph reported that Andrew and his crew determined to settle forward of a March 10 deposition, when Andrew would have been questioned underneath oath by Giuffre’s attorneys.
As a part of the settlement, Andrew may also make a “substantial” donation to Giuffre’s charity in assist of victims’ rights. In an announcement filed in court docket, Andrew pledged to “exhibit his remorse” for his affiliation with Epstein by supporting the “struggle in opposition to the evils of intercourse trafficking, and by supporting its victims.” He additionally recommended “the bravery of Ms Giuffre and different survivors in standing up for themselves and others.”
Even supporters of the royal household say that Andrew’s settlement marks “a really unhappy and embarrassing second for the Queen and #Royal Household,” as Day by day Mail author Richard Eden tweeted.
Piers Morgan wrote in his column for The Solar: “For a senior member of the Royal Household to pay a small fortune to settle a case involving alleged sexual abuse of a minor is probably the most severe scandal to hit the monarchy in trendy occasions. And the court docket of public opinion has swiftly concluded that by shopping for off his accuser, Andrew’s proven that after once more, it’s one rule for the wealthy and highly effective, one other for the remainder of them.”
Different loyal observers count on that the scandal will in actual fact overshadow the celebrations this yr to mark the queen’s seventieth yr as monarch. Royal writer Angela Levin advised Sky Information At present: “I love the Queen massively as everyone does, and I don’t need it to spoil something for her, however I nonetheless assume that is hanging over the nation and the royal household and goes to go proper by to the top of the yr and perhaps into subsequent yr, and there’s no possible way of chopping it off.”
One other problem that's prone to cling over the royal household is a Metropolitan Police “cash-for-honors” investigation introduced Wednesday, as Individuals reported. The police are trying into allegations that donations had been made to Charles’ charity as a way to safe official honors and British citizenship for a Saudi businessman.
The Telegraph reported that the queen’s contribution to the settlement will come from her non-public Duchy of Lancaster property, whereas the supply of Andrew’s contribution and his private wealth have “lengthy remained a thriller.” It’s been reported that he's promoting is barely identified asset, a Swiss ski chalet he purchased with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson in 2014 for a reported $21 million.
In the meantime, supporters of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle additionally used the information of the settlement to berate the royal household for ostracizing the couple, who fled royal life in 2020 to dwell in California and who've portrayed the household as dysfunctional and racist in interviews. The Sussex supporters argued that Andrew’s alleged misdeeds with Epstein triggered a lot extra injury to the household’s popularity.
“Don’t nobody ever say once more that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dragged down the popularity of the Royal Household. Ever once more,” a Day by day Mirror journalist tweeted.