Prince Andrew Thrown to the Wolves: Duke 'Let Down' by Palace Over 'Hefty Payout Recipient' Virginia Giuffre's Abuse Allegations
Both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III "let down" Prince Andrew over Virginia Giuffre's sexual assault claims, a new report from The Telegraph reveals.
Attorney Paul Tweed, a close friend of the York family, claims that Buckingham Palace's alleged mishandling of the allegations against Andrew, particularly after his infamous 2019 Newsnight interview regarding his connection to convicted s-- offender Jeffrey Epstein, helped lead the Duke to his current state.
Tweed details in his new book My Life as an International Libel Lawyer to the Rich and Famous that the palace's failure to immediately address the interview's fallout with a public statement worsened Andrew’s situation and exposed him to more scrutiny.
The lack of swift action is seen as a major error, leaving "Randy Andy" to bear the brunt of public outrage without adequate support from the monarchy.
After the interview, the Duke of York was criticized for his failure to express empathy for Epstein’s victims and for his inability to convincingly explain his friendship with Epstein. Following this, the palace’s response was widely perceived as inadequate. Instead of addressing the public’s concerns or defending Andrew, the palace remained largely silent.
In March 2022, it is believed Elizabeth II paid Giuffree a financial settlement to close her claims permanently.
"No one has that kind of money but his mother," royal expert Adam Helliker said at the time."Andrew is not close enough to the Prince of Wales for him to fund that kind of money. He doesn't have any income."
In his statement, which was released on February 15 of that year, Andrew revealed he would pay his accuser a certain amount of money, but experts believe it was about $16 million dollars.
According to David Boies, who is Giuffre's lawyer, the Duke seemed pleased with the outcome.
"It was two or three long days," he said in February 2022. "Essentially Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Virginia was very, very pleased with the settlement. It’s over, we have monetary settlement and a charitable contribution and we have his statement and acknowledgement. If the U.K. people want to know where the money has come from, they could get that from Andrew."
This insight follows reports that suggest the Duke was "railroaded" by "bloodthirsty hypocrites," to ensure his royal exile is here to stay for good, according to a royal source.
Newsnight producer Sam McAlister's revelation that there is now "no way back" to public royal life for the disgraced Duke. "I think in the real world in this country, there is no way back," she told an outlet. "For those of us who are normal British people. No."
Andrew was the subject of a three-part movie on Amazon Prime Video called A Very Royal Scandal. It explores the days leading up to the disgraced Duke's sit down with Emily Maitlis, which McAlister was also heavily involved in.