New reports have emerged alleging that the late Queen Elizabeth II provided significant financial assistance to her son, Prince Andrew, to facilitate a multi-million-pound settlement with Virginia Giuffre. According to recent claims, the former monarch lent the Duke of York approximately £7 million to cover the costs of the out-of-court agreement, which ended a high-profile civil sexual assault lawsuit in the United States.
The controversy centers on the civil case brought against Prince Andrew by Giuffre, a victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Giuffre accused the Prince of sexual assault on three occasions when she was 17 years old—allegations the Prince has consistently and vehemently denied. To avoid a trial that would have likely coincided with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, a settlement was reached in February 2022. While the precise figures of the agreement were strictly confidential at the time, subsequent analysis and biographical accounts suggest the total payment amounted to roughly £12 million.
The breakdown of this substantial sum has become a point of public interest. It is alleged that while Prince Andrew contributed to the payment, he did not possess the necessary liquidity to cover the full amount independently. Reports indicate that Queen Elizabeth II stepped in to provide the remaining funds, ostensibly structuring the £7 million transfer as a personal loan to her second son. This financial intervention allowed the payment to be made swiftly, securing the dismissal of the lawsuit in New York and preventing further damaging testimony from entering the public domain.
The term “hush money” has been frequently associated with the payment by critics, though legally it constituted a civil settlement that included no admission of liability. As part of the agreement, a significant portion of the funds was designated as a charitable donation to support victims’ rights—a clause intended to demonstrate the Prince’s regret regarding his association with Epstein. However, the revelation that the funds may have originated partly from the monarch’s private wealth raises questions about the intersection of private royal finances and public scandals.
Since the settlement, Prince Andrew’s standing within the British Royal Family has been severely diminished. Prior to the agreement, he was stripped of his military affiliations and Royal patronages, and he has since ceased to perform public duties. The alleged loan from the late Queen highlights the complex dynamics within the House of Windsor during the final year of her reign, illustrating a maternal desire to resolve a crisis that threatened to overshadow the monarchy’s stability.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, the status of this alleged debt remains unclear. With King Charles III now controlling the family’s finances and the Duchy of Lancaster, it is unknown whether the loan was repaid, forgiven, or deducted from the Duke of York’s inheritance. Buckingham Palace has maintained a policy of silence regarding the specific financial arrangements of the settlement, treating the matter as a private legal issue. This latest disclosure, however, ensures that the scrutiny surrounding the Duke of York and the financial mechanics of his legal defense remains a topic of global discussion.
