The out-of-court settlement announced on Tuesday by the defenses of Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre in a sex scandal case has escalated pressure for the son of Queen Elizabeth II to be stripped of the title of Duke of York and raised questions about which will be the origin of the money to be paid.
The lawyers in the case did not specify the amount that will be given to Giuffre for the process to be closed. According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the payment would be 12 million pounds (R$ 84 million) – 10 million would go to the American, and the rest, to an institution for victims of sex trafficking.
Where will the money come from? The Telegraph has learned that the origin could be one of Queen Elizabeth II’s private properties, but the Duke, who receives a navy pension and a grant from the Duchy of Lancaster, could also use the proceeds from the sale of a luxury Swiss chalet valued at 18. million pounds, according to The Times.
The matter reignited the debate over the relationship between the royal family’s budget and public funding. Anti-monarchy groups demanded further clarification on the amount involved in the agreement and its origin.
Graham Smith, director of the anti-monarchy group Republic, one of the leading anti-monarchy groups in the country, said in a statement that most of the money comes from taxpayers in one form or another. “Whatever way they find it, we’re the ones paying Andrew to save himself from judgment.”
The public discrediting of the prince who, under pressure, had already stopped making public commitments in the name of the monarchy and renounced his military titles also came to light. Pressure is mounting for Andrew to remove the title of Duke of York, a role created for the queen’s second son for life.
Lawmaker Rachael Maskell, who represents the district of York, told The Guardian that retaining the title would sustain an “Ambassador of York” relationship, which is detrimental to a city with a global reputation. She welcomed the prince’s commitment to combating sexual abuse, but said that “to show his seriousness and respect for those affected, he should support the withdrawal of his duke title.”
Darryl Smalley, a local councilor, also maintained that the Queen’s son’s direct connection to the city must be severed. “York’s connection to the crown is an important part of our city’s legacy and a source of pride; Buckingham Palace and the government must consider the implications of the troubling allegations against Andrew.”
Queen Elizabeth II cannot remove titles from members of the royal family. Such attempts should be led by the British Parliament, through a statute, but there has not yet been a formal expression from the Legislature on the matter.
Pressure also came from the local press, whose front pages were widely covered with the subject this Wednesday (16). An editorial in The Sun, for example, says that Andrew “is finished” and that “he must completely abandon public life and live out his retirement in dishonor.”
In the out-of-court settlement announced this week, Andrew, for the first time, describes Giuffre as a victim, although he denies that he sexually abused the American. He also sympathizes most emphatically with women victims of trafficking and sexual abuse.
Giuffre filed a lawsuit against the prince in a court in New York, in the US, in August of last year. She accuses him of sexually abusing her on three separate occasions when he was 17. The abuse reportedly had the help of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, with whom Andrew had a close relationship for years.
Epstein committed suicide in a US prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking and criminal conspiracy to traffic minors to exploit them. His longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, was later convicted by the US court on five counts of recruiting young people and helping the investor to abuse her. The abuses against Giuffre would have taken place on Epstein’s and Maxwell’s properties.
Prince Charles Foundation Investigated
Another case involving a member of the royal family has come to light amid Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, in which the monarch celebrates her 70th year of reign. This time, the person involved is Prince Charles, first in line to the throne, who is in isolation after learning that he has Covid.
Scotland Yard, London’s Metropolitan Police, announced on Wednesday the opening of an investigation into donations made to a Charles charitable foundation by Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz.
Press investigations used as a source by security agents suggest that Mahfouz made the donations so that he could receive the honorary title of Commander of the British Empire and, after that, obtain British citizenship. If the honor is related to the donation, there may be a violation of the UK Honors Act.
Clarence House, the official residence of Charles and his wife Camilla, denies that the prince was aware of the alleged offer of honors or British citizenship based on the donation to their charity, according to The Guardian. The prince’s foundation, for its part, declined to comment.
