Prince Andrew settles £6.6MILLION debt with socialite allowing him to sell £18m ski chalet to fund sex abuse lawsuit
PRINCE Andrew has finally settled his £6.6 million debt with a socialite, which will allow him to fund his sex abuse lawsuit, it has been claimed.
Former pal Isabelle de Rouvre, 74, sold the Swiss ski chalet to the Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, in 2014 for £18million.
While the agreement was that the house would be paid for in installments, Ms de Rouvre claims the Yorks were unable to meet a deadline for repayment.
They were sued for £6.6 million including interest in 2020.
However, the matter has now been resolved as the Duke paid his debt last year, the reported.
A source close to the Duke told the Sun Online: "I can confirm that the legal action has been halted and that the chalet is being sold - but otherwise no comment on private financial matters."
Ms de Rouvre told the outlet: "I sold it two months ago, or was it one. Maybe six weeks ago.
"Anyway, I sold it to the Yorks and we made an agreement. That is the end of the story thankfully.
"The war is finished. It is the end of the matter. I have nothing to do with it now. That's all.
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'"I don't know what they are doing now. They were here at Christmas but I only know that because I read it in the press. I did not see them. So Happy Christmas and that's that. The end.
"It was about six weeks ago that the matter was closed. It was November. It's done. They paid the money and it was done. It is closed for me. The war is over.
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"He has paid the money. We have a war against Covid which is more important but this was a different war.
"The second payment needed to be paid and that payment is now done. That's it. You can be sure that's it. It's done.
The settlement now allows Andrew to sell the property and use the cash to fund his legal bills for the sex abuse allegations.
It comes days after it was reported the Duke of York has found a buyer for the property.
Chalet Helora - which has an indoor pool and sauna - has been on the market for 22million Swiss Francs (£17.6m)
The Duke is currently waiting for a judge to decide whether Virginia Roberts Giuffre's civil lawsuit will be ditched.
If it goes ahead, Andrew will face a full civil trial in New York over claims he sexually abused Ms Giuffre three times between 1999 and 2002 when she was 17.
Andrew has always strongly denied all allegations made against him.
Now 38, Ms Giuffre has filed a battery and infliction of emotional distress lawsuit against Andrew.
Andrew's sex trafficker pal Ghislaine Maxwell was last week found guilty of helping to entice vulnerable teens to ex-lover Epstein's properties for him to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004.
