The former Duke of York, 65, is believed to have paid Giuffre £12 million ($23 million) to settle the case after she alleged she had been forced to have sex with him on three occasions, beginning when she was 17. Andrew has always denied the claims, and the settlement included no admission of liability or apology.
Reports suggest Queen Elizabeth contributed £7 million toward the agreement, with an additional £3 million coming from Prince Philip’s estate a year after his death. King Charles is said to have provided £1.5 million. The remaining balance was reportedly covered by other members of the Royal Family, despite Andrew maintaining that he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre.
Minimising the Scandal
It has been claimed that senior royals were eager to bring the lawsuit to a close to limit further damage to the monarchy ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations later that year.
According to The Sun, Andrew has not “repaid a single penny”.
“They bankrolled his payoff to his accuser Virginia Giuffre. They bought his lies and helped him try and make the problem go away,” a source told The Sun.
“His own mother, the late Queen, was left heartbroken by the scandal. But she could not face banishing Andrew, who was still her beloved son.
“You can’t imagine that the Duke of Edinburgh ever would have expected that his savings would end up being spent on hush money.”
Plans to Repay — and Financial Struggles
Andrew had reportedly intended to reimburse his family by selling his £19 million Swiss ski chalet in Verbier. However, heavy mortgage debt on the property meant it generated little, if any, profit.
A source claimed the Royal Family has since been recouping funds gradually, taking “a little from here and a little from there” in an effort to recover some of the money.
Giuffre’s Legacy
In her posthumous memoir, Giuffre reflected on the eight-figure settlement and wrote that she hoped to “do some good” with the funds.
Part of that effort included expanding her Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR) foundation, an organisation dedicated to fighting human trafficking and supporting survivors.
Giuffre died by suicide in April last year at her farm near Perth. She was 41 and is survived by her husband and three children.
