15-01-22, 11:06
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#78
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re: EPSTEIN: Ghislaine Andrew & The PED0-Grisly Story of Sex Abuse & Palaces
Prince Andrew Fears Financial Ruin Amid Sex Case - But Queen Offers Lifeline
Prince Andrew has been left to fight allegations of rape a 'private citizen' after Her Majesty, with advice from future kings Prince Charles and Prince William, banished him from royal life forever
Daily Mirror 15 JAN 2022
Prince Andrew leaving Royal Lodge
Virginia Giuffre with her lawyer David Boies
Prince Andrew fears he faces “financial ruin” over his civil sex abuse case, amid mounting legal bills and a potential £10million settlement with his accuser Virginia Giuffre, it has emerged.
The disgraced Duke of York is counting the cost of being banished from the royal family after the Queen stripped him of military titles and his remaining royal patronages.
Andrew has been left to fight allegations of rape a “private citizen” after Her Majesty, with advice from future kings Prince Charles and Prince William, banished him from royal life forever.
The monarch and her heirs decided to cut him adrift after becoming “infuriated” with the crisis threatening The Firm, it is understood.
One royal source suggested senior royals believed stricken Andrew had “run out of road” as the pressure significantly increased this week, following a New York judge’s decision to throw out the Duke’s latest bid to halt a full civil trial.
The Prince of Wales today refused to acknowledge a reporter’s questions on his brother’s “situation”, during a visit the Haddow Country Park in Aberdeenshire.
Buckingham Palace has offered no further comment since a bombshell statement was delivered announcing Andrew’s banishment on Thursday at 5pm.
The Mirror can reveal that Andrew was today locked in talks with his teams of lawyers in the UK and US as they waited for Ms Giuffre’s team to respond to a 6pm deadline about her living arrangements.
The Duke’s legal team still believe his case can not be heard under US federal law due to a “domicile arrangement”, arguing that at least one party in a civil lawsuit must be a resident in the country.
Ms Giuffre, 38, who claims Andrew had sex with her on three occasions when she was just 17, has lived in Australia since 2002.
But amid the chaos and uncertainty, Andrew - who has always denied the allegations - is understood to have taken time to bemoan his financial situation, telling his closest confidants he fears being left insolvent in addition to an outcast from his family.
Despite rushing to complete the sale of a £17million Swiss chalet, his mounting debts include lawyers’ fees of at least £2million and a £6million payment to a French socialite he bought the alpine mansion from in 2014.
Legal experts believe Andrew may have to stump up as much as £10million to Ms Giuffre to stop the case coming to court.
In contrast Ms Giuffre’s lawyer has insisted she was not only interested in financial recompense.
A royal source said: “Until very recently it appears the absolute enormity of this case and the consequences he faces has not hit him (Andrew).
“Now the bills are mounting up and the possibility of a settlement, or even worse a judgement against him, is being widely discussed; he fears complete financial ruin.
“Andrew thought, indeed he was advised that this would all go away in time and neither has happened, leaving him facing an extraordinary uphill battle to even salvage any crumb of his reputation.
“There is a very real prospect of him being completely broke.”
The Mirror understands the Queen “would not assist” her son in paying a settlement to Ms Giuffre due to the perceived reputational damage to the Crown.
Sources close to the Duke maintained he would “continue to fight to clear his name” despite being cut adrift from his family.
As Andrew limps towards the next stage of his legal battle, it can be revealed how he was given just two hours notice on Thursday to attend a face-to-face meeting with the Queen at midday.
Sources close to the Duke revealed he was “fully aware what was coming” and stayed with Her Majesty for just half an hour to be told he was being stripped of all military associations and patronages.
The Queen’s most senior counsel had already laid bare the chances of Andrew being forced to pay out a multi-million pound settlement to halt an explosive trial taking place.
But despite clear water being placed between Andrew and the monarchy due to the tawdry saga, sources have confirmed that Andrew will not lose his security detail, although it is likely to be scaled back.
Sources have suggested the Queen would privately meet the cost of her son’s £300,000 annual security bill if he is left broke.
- Palace insiders suggested that although such a decision has not been rubber stamped, were it to be rubber stamped it would be likely to cause further friction within the family after Prince Harry and his wife Meghan after they were cut adrift and told to pay for their own security when they quit their royal roles.
A spokesperson for the Duke of York did not comment.
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