FIRM HAND
Queen ‘heartbroken’ over Prince Andrew scandal as Royal Family support ‘thin on the ground’, experts claim
THE Queen is "heartbroken" over Prince Andrew's sex abuse scandal that has divided the Royal Family, experts have claimed.
His ongoing legal battle with rape accuser Virginia Roberts has caused friction between senior royals as support for him has become "thin on the ground".
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It seems the 61-year-old is quickly running out of allies after he failed in his attempts to stop the case after he was sued for allegedly sexually abusing his accuser when she was just 17.
Senior royals are said to be sick of the media circus and shame the allegations have stirred up, after it was dubbed the "biggest constitutional crisis in living memory".
It threatens to overshadow the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, much to the frustration of other members of the Firm eager to see the back of the case.
Royal expert Angela Levin says Her Majesty will be devastated that her "favourite child has let her down" when she should be excited to celebrate.
Senior royal aides are all urging Andrew to settle as soon as possible to prevent him from dragging the "whole monarchy through the mud".
But the Queen is rumoured to be still bankrolling his case - although it would be considered a PR disaster if she paid an alleged sex abuse victim to end claims against her son.
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It has forced Andrew to flog his luxury chalet in Verbier, Switzerland, to keep his legal funds afloat.
But Prince William and Prince Charles are said to be "absolutely furious" amid the mounting fees, that will continue to soar as the case rumbles on.
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Angela Levin told Sky News: " The Queen must be heartbroken that Andrew said to be her favourite child has let her down in this way when she should really be getting excited for the Platinum Jubilee.
"The problem is there is the case has to be prepared during the summer months.
"Charles and Prince William will be incredibly angry with him," she said.
"The fact his case has been thrown out means he can't win in any way - certainly not in public opinion which is very important to the Royal Family."
Despite Andrew being effectively "invisible", Ms Levin said the Firm will be finding it "very, very difficult" to fulfill their duties as the eyes of the world remain firmly set on the Royal Family.
So it is no surprise many of Andrew's close relatives have taken a step back and revoked their moral support, according to royal expert Chris Ship.
The Queen must be heartbroken that Andrew said to be her favourite child has let her down in this way when she should really be getting excited for the Platinum Jubilee.
Angela Levin
He told Good Morning Britain: "From what I hear, his immediate family - Sarah Ferguson, his two daughters - are behind him.
"But other members of the Royal family very much are not and are wanting to try and end this in whatever way they can in terms of the damage for the wider institution.
"The support he has amongst the wider family is very, very thin on the ground indeed," he said.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the claims.
The damning analysis of Royal relations comes after the Duke of York scrambled to sell his Swiss ski chalet to have a stash of cash to pay off Virginia Giuffre.
He has settled on a price with a mystery millionaire for his Verbier home believed to be in excess of £17million.
Andrew is understood to be prepared to do “whatever is necessary” to stop his sex abuse case overshadowing the Queen’s big year.
But Her Majesty could be asked to help fund a potential multi-million settlement with his accuser.
A deal - likely to exceed £5million - could see her contribute cash from her private Duchy of Lancaster estate to pay off Ms Giuffre.
The bombshell decision from the judge to continue the case in which he is accused of sexually abusing Ms Giuffre when she was just 17 has rocked the institution once more.
ANDREW IS 'FINISHED'
A royal expert said the Duke of York is "finished" as a working royal and will likely lose all military honours amid his ongoing court battle.
He has not attended a single military event since he stepped back from royal duties two years ago and is expected to be "invisible" during Platinum Jubilee events.
Andrew has strenuously denied all allegations.
Leading commentator Phil Dampier told The Sun Online he may likely pay off his accuser to avoid any further embarrassment for Her Majesty.
In a car-crash interview with the BBC he denied ever meeting her and if he appears in court, he will certainly be cross examined under oath about that claim.
Andrew's current predicament stems from his controversial friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who Ms Giuffre alleges introduced her to the royal.
She accused Epstein of raping her and sued him but reached an out of court settlement in 2009 in which she was paid $500,000 (£371,000) in return for dropping the case.
Prince Andrew's lawyers argued he was covered by an part of the settlement in which she also agreed not to sue "any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant".
But David Boies, Ms Giuffre's lawyer, said only the parties of the settlement agreement - Epstein and Ms Giuffre and their associates - could benefit from it, and not a "third party" such as Andrew.
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Judge Lewis A Kaplan agreed and said Prince Andrew's motion was "denied in all respects".
He said the 2009 agreement cannot "demonstrate, clearly and unambiguously" show the parties intended to "benefit Prince Andrew".
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Queen 'heartbroken' over Prince Andrew scandal as Royal family support 'thin on the ground', expert claims
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