The Queen set to pay for Prince Andrew's £12m settlement that's 'worth its weight in gold' for Her Majesty

The Queen is likely to foot the bill for Prince Andrew's £12m sexual assault case, with the settlement "worth its weight in gold" for Her Majesty, according to experts. 

• Prince Andrew has settled his sexual assault case filed against him by Virginia Giuffre.
• It's thought that the Queen will pay much of the settlement fee, which is believed to be more than £12m, for her son.
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes after it was revealed that heartache is in store for Prince Harry as he’s set to face pain that will strike  a ‘sour note’ (opens in new tab).

It has been announced that Prince Andrew, 61, has reached an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre, meaning he will no longer face trial on claims that he sexually abused and raped her on three separate occasions when she was 17.

Prince Andrew is said to have faced increasing pressure from the royal family to bring the sex assault case to an end after it threatened to overshadow the Queen's Platinum Jubilee (opens in new tab) celebrations.

Virginia Giuffre, 38, was suing the Duke of York in the US, claiming she was forced, by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to have sex with Andrew when she was just 17.

Andrew denied the allegations but it was reported on Tuesday 15th February that lawyers for both sides said that they would seek the dismissal of the case “upon Ms Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement”.

And while the specific amount of the settlement fee has been undisclosed, one expert claimed that it would be "worth its weight in gold to the Queen as she celebrates her Platinum Jubilee".

Prince Charles, who is next in line to the throne in the royal succession (opens in new tab), had been a prominent voice on the issue, a source indicated.

Prince Andrew had his titles stripped (opens in new tab) and was banished from social media (opens in new tab) by the Queen prior to the settlement.

There was nothing in the statement that indicated that Andrew accepted any of Giuffre’s claims that she had sex with him when, aged 17, she was forced to do so by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

The statement said that he would also make a “substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights”.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the total amount Andrew will pay Giuffre and her charity would be more than £12 million, using money from the Queen’s Duchy of Lancaster estate.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

However, it is thought Prince Andrew could sell his ski chalet in Verbier to help to finance the settlement, and it's claimed that his mother paid for some of his legal bills and it's expected that the Queen will now partly fund the settlement in order to allow her son – and the entire Royal family – to draw a line under the case.

And while Prince Andrew is not likely to regain his royal patronages, it's likely that following the settlement, Prince Andrew could make an appearance at Prince Philip's memorial on the first anniversary of his death (opens in new tab).