According to British media reports, in order to help Prince Andrew solve his civil sexual assault case, the Queen personally donated 2 million pounds (about 1720.6 yuan) to the charity of Virginia Giuffre, the victim of the case.
Sources say that despite pressure to strip her second son of all remaining privileges, she allowed her "shameful" son to remain the Queen's Senior Minister of State and retain his titles of Duke and Vice Admiral.
It is understood under the terms of the £2 million agreement arranged by the Queen's most senior adviser and the legal team of the Duke of York (Prince Andrew), the Queen agreed to help Andrew, as long as it was not paid to Giffer in any private way.
Queen of England and Prince Andrew
A royal source said: "She cannot be seen paying a victim of sexual assault, especially as the victim accuses her son of assaulting himself. However, the agreement was structured so that a substantial financial contribution could be arranged for the settlement in this case in the form of charitable donations. ”
There are growing demands for clarification on how Andrew will personally fund the tens of millions of pounds that will eventually be finalized by both sides, and demand that the money cannot be paid out of public funds from the British royal family.
David McClure, author of The Queen's True Value, told The Mirror: "Prince Andrew's compensation is huge, so the public has the right to know whether the money was made in public funds or in the Queen's personal funds. ”
Andrew and the Queen
Last month, Andrew was called to a civil jury trial in the United States, and the Queen and Prince Charles jointly commented on him, putting him under enormous pressure.
Virginia Gifford claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times after being trafficked by Andrew's pedophile friends Jeffrey Epstein and Gisley Maxwell in 2001.
In the recent case that has caused a sensation in britain, Andrew and Gifford have finally reached a £12 million settlement, the result of intense negotiations between the two sides, which was finalized on Monday.
Andrew and Ms. Gifford
He signed the "complex" deal after Andrew was able to provide evidence that a Swiss chalet owned by him and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, could be sold for £17 million, according to people familiar with the matter.
Prince Andrew's only known asset was purchased with Sarah on a mortgage in 2014, backed by the Queen's private funds.
Andrew, 61, is in the final stages of selling his property in Verbier to a European funder.
Swiss chalet in Andrew
But he still owes the former owner of the chalet about £6 million. That's the equivalent of Andrew selling the cabin for £11 million. The former owner of the chalet had threatened to sue him for unpaid debts.
The source added that the deal with Virginia Guillermough was more complicated than the average out-of-court settlement, with Andrew insisting on depositing the money into an "escrow account" where the funds were kept by a third party until the final transaction.
Gifford's legal proceedings bill is believed to be around £3 million, which is believed to be included in the settlement agreement. There are reports that the Queen's donation will come from income from her private Duchy of Lancaster, which pays her more than £23 million a year.
The Queen and two sons, Charles and Andrew
The source of Andrew's personal wealth has always been a mystery. He has a navy pension of around £30,000 and a Queen's allowance of £250,000 a year, but these are not enough to cover his living expenses.
The terms of the agreement prohibit either party from publicly discussing the case or the settlement itself, but experts say the public has a right to know where the £12 million out-of-court settlement costs came from.
Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchical group Republic, said: "The Duchy of Lancaster belongs to the British Royal Family, which brings the Queen around £20 million a year in revenue, which should go to the Treasury. ”
Queen of England and second son Andrew
Royal finance experts say, "Most of their money comes from us in one way or another." No matter how you fix it, in the end it's we who pay for Andrew to save him from court. ”
The expert, David McClure, said there had been controversy over whether the public would have the right to own the Queen's principality property. He told The Mirror: "Over the centuries, there have been many attempts to hand over this asset to Parliament, but without success. ”
"Despite countless efforts to make the royal family's finances more transparent, the dukes' money was always left unregulated. The Queen considers the money to be her own private fund, and it is indeed a very lucrative cash cow for the royal family. ”
Andrew
Former UK Shadow Justice Minister Richard Bergen said: "The Royal Family must immediately clarify that not a penny of public funds will be used to help Prince Andrew resolve this sexual assault civil case. ”
"Given the serious nature of this case, neither the public appropriations given to the Crown nor any other funds received by the Crown as a result of someone holding public office should not be used."
Buckingham Palace's decision to allow Andrew to keep the remaining title will be seen as a sign of his support to retain his mother. As British National Counsellor, if the Queen is temporarily unable to perform her official duties, he can also replace the Queen.
This role was assumed by any of the Queen's spouses and the next four adult heirs, the current Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York. Among the four members of the royal family, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry are no longer senior members of the royal family.
Prince Andrew's 95-year-old mother, who has recently looked frail, was photographed for the first time since news of an Andrew's sexual assault settlement. During a meeting with Major General Eldon Miller, she pointed to her left or left foot and said, "You can see, I'm almost out of my way." ”
Although Andrew had made such a mistake in his youth, and if placed in an ordinary family, he would have been sentenced to a certain degree for such a crime, and the Queen, as the ruler of the British monarchy, was also Andrew's old mother, and she would not allow such a detrimental to the dignity of the royal family.
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