Prince Andrew has settled his case with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has accused the Duke of York of sexual assault when she was a minor. The financial settlement is well into the millions, and there are growing reports that the Queen may give her son assistance to ensure that the case is settled before her official Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.

The civil case brought against Prince Andrew by Roberts Giuffre is part of the fallout of his associations with Jeffery Epstein. According to Roberts Giuffre, she was part of the harem of young women kept and trafficked by Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. She also claims that she was given to Duke of York and had sex with him at least three times, while she was underage.

After making a fair amount of huff about fighting the case in court, the Duke and his accuser unexpectedly came to a settlement.

He and Roberts Giuffre released a joint statement, which read: “The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed.”

However, reports have already come out indicating that it is the eight figures, perhaps as high as £12 million and that the Queen may assist her son in paying the considerable payout, which will be split in some way between Roberts Guiffre and her charity.

Per The Telegraph, “The Queen has already privately funded the Duke’s legal fight to the tune of millions of pounds and will now partly fund the settlement in order to allow her son – and the entire Royal family – to draw a line under the case that had threatened to overshadow her Platinum Jubilee year.”

The royal family is likely relieved that a trial has been avoided, as this could have been incredibly embarrassing. In an effort to dig up as much dirt as possible, likely every perverted proclivity of Prince Andrew would have been on full display and digested on an international stage. Due to the precarious position of the monarchy as the Queen enters the twilight of her reign, Prince Charles and Prince William wanted to avoid a trial at all costs.

However, there were likely be some consternation that the Queen has been forced to shell out millions of dollars to help her favorite son get out of his self-imposed legal troubles.

Given his multimillion-dollar inheritances and his incredibly expensive ski chalet, there will be questions about how the Duke of York is unable to settle his own debts without relying on his elderly mother for help.

Given the potential fallout of a possible trial, this conclusion is the best for all involved and actually put Andrew in a better position than what he could have initially anticipated and it shows that potentially Roberts Giuffre’s case wasn’t as rock-solid as she wanted everyone to believe.

It came out recently that Roberts Giuffre is not in possession of the original photo featuring herself and the Duke, which would have likely featured heavily in the trial as it proves that the two had contact. That she doesn’t own it anymore or doesn’t know where the original is raises some serious questions about her ability to keep track of information.

Though Prince Andrew really had no option but to settle, as a trial would have been a nightmare for him and the royal family, to a certain extent Roberts Giuffre comes off a bit like a woman who just wanted a multimillion-dollar payday. 

Depending on the reliability and context of the evidence, there most likely no way to prove that Prince Andrew did anything she is accusing him of. Even if he did have sex with her, how was he supposed to know that she was underage and being trafficked? It is a purely he said, she said scenario.

But in this heighted environment of post-MeToo, it is almost always guilty before being proven innocent, if this even happens at all. Prince Andrew would be facing an uphill battle no matter what, and, even if he came out as the victor, the trial could utterly destroy what remains of his tattered reputation.

Hopefully, with the stress of the trial behind him, Prince Andrew can find a new career and enjoy his remaining years with his ex-wife Sarah, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their children.