Prince Andrew has lunch with Queen after fleeing to Balmoral to avoid being served sex assault papers
PRINCE Andrew held lunchtime talks with the Queen yesterday after travelling 500 miles to avoid a sex abuse lawsuit.
The Duke of York, 61, spent 90 minutes with his mum at a fishing lodge on her private Balmoral estate.
Scandal-hit Andrew, who has yet to respond to a sex abuse civil claim lodged in a New York court a month ago, fled to Scotland from his Windsor mansion on Tuesday with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
There have been “multiple attempts” to serve him with papers from paedo Jeffrey Epstein’s former sex slave Virginia Giuffre.
Yesterday, the Duke arrived at the secluded forest six miles from Balmoral Castle supported by security shortly before 1pm.
Her Majesty was seen an hour and a half later leaving the lodge, which was owned by the Queen Mum.
Andrew, often described as the Queen’s favourite son, was not seen departing. A source said: “He was nowhere to be seen. His driver then left alone in his Range Rover.
“He must have gone out via the back door because he had been made aware of a photographer.
“The Queen looked very relaxed and wasn’t concerned about having her picture taken. Clearly, Andrew is far more eager to avoid the spotlight.”
Balmoral insiders expect Andrew to remain there for “at least two weeks” — including when the court hearing takes place in New York on Monday.
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Ms Giuffre’s lawsuit accuses him of “rape in the first degree”.
Andrew, in the Highlands for a second time this summer, has previously denied any wrongdoing.
For the Queen, expected to remain on holiday at Balmoral until October, it is her first summer alone without the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April.
Buckingham Palace did not want to comment.