Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was accused of having sex with Virginia Giuffre when she was 17 – a claim he has always denied. The Queen reportedly had a one-word response his account of the allegations
The Royal family has endured numerous crises over the years, but none as damaging as the allegations against the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – stemming from his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
His reputation started to suffer following an interview with BBC Newsnight journalist Emily Maitlis, where he faced allegations of sexual relations with Virginia Giuffre, who was 17 at the time.
Giuffre claimed she was trafficked by businessman Epstein and circulated among his friends for sex. Andrew was recently stripped of his titles, meaning he is now known as ‘Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’. Andrew vehemently denies all allegations brought against him.
Now, the scandal has resurfaced once again due to an email revealing that his friendship with the paedophile extended longer than he had previously admitted to the public.
This development coincides with the publication of excerpts from a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre.
Court documents from 2014 alleged that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was among several high-profile individuals involved in sexual activities with a 17 year old girl, later identified as Ms Giuffre. Despite this, the former prince has consistently refuted these allegations, claiming he has no memory of ever meeting her and asserting that a photograph showing him with his arm around her waist was doctored, reports the Mirror.
Epstein took his own life in his prison cell in 2019.
Moving forward to 2022, Andrew resolved the civil sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in the US by Ms Giuffre for an undisclosed sum, reportedly reaching up to £12million.
Nevertheless, the settlement included no acknowledgement of liability, guilt or misconduct on Andrew’s behalf.
Queen Elizabeth supported her son but, allegedly, had merely a single-word reaction to his version of events, according to Royal family confidant and biographer Gyles Brandreth.
In an excerpt from his 2022 book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, it’s claimed that the late Queen “listened carefully” to her son’s complete account and replied with just one word: ‘Intriguing’.
Brandreth recounted a discussion he had with a senior courtier regarding the scandal, explaining: “There was a lot of nonsense talked about no one being at the helm, but the Queen took a firm grip of things.”
Additionally, the Queen agreed to assist Andrew in resolving his civil case by personally contributing £2million to Virginia Giuffre’s charity.
Under the conditions of a £2million settlement, arranged by the Queen’s senior advisers and Andrew’s legal representatives, it is believed that the Queen consented to support Andrew provided she wasn’t connected to any direct payment to Ms Giuffre.
A Royal source revealed: “She could not be seen to be making a payment to a victim of sexual assault, who accused her son of being an abuser. But a deal was structured in such a way to arrange a sizeable financial contribution to the settlement by way of a charitable donation instead.”
Andrew has since declared his intention to relinquish all his titles, a decision reportedly influenced by both King Charles and Prince William.
In a statement issued on Friday, 17 October, Andrew said: “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
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