Royal Expert Says Prince Andrew's Settlement Won't Change His Fate With The Royal Family - Exclusive

For the past several months, Queen Elizabeth's second son, Prince Andrew, has been caught up in a legal battle after his former friend Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested and convicted for sex trafficking, per CNBC. Maxwell's sentencing came two years after disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — who also had close ties with Andrew — died by suicide in his prison cell.

Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein and Maxwell's accusers, sued Andrew in August 2021, claiming she had been forced to have sex with him on numerous occasions at Epstein's request when she was 17 years old. The lawsuit created a firestorm in the British media and Andrew was stripped of his royal and military titles before the trial was set to begin. However, in a turn of events, Andrew and Giuffre settled out of court on February 15 with the caveat that Andrew will "make a substantial donation ... in support of victims' rights,” per The New York Times.

While the case has been settled, a royal expert tells Nicki Swift that Andrew will continue to face the consequences of his associations with Epstein and Maxwell, making his return to the royal spotlight virtually impossible.

To break down what the settlement means for Prince Andrew's future in the role household, Nicki Swift reached out to British royal expert Kinsey Schofield, founder of ToDiForDaily.com, to get her take on the situation. First, Schofield acknowledged that Andrew's settlement statement "was a swift shift in tone from defiance to compliance." Though Andrew didn't admit to any wrongdoing and has maintained his innocence for years, per the AP, Schofield notes that "the idea of handing over the rumored $10+ million is not necessarily something that an innocent man does."

In this case, the court of public opinion then has assumed Andrew is guilty because of how he responded to the lawsuit. Schofield added that if Andrew had gone to trial, the evidence presented to the judge "could have painted a clear picture of just how close Andrew was to Epstein." Still, Andrew's lawsuit has been put "under a microscope during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Year," and Schofield believes that Andrew "is being asked to hide in the shadows now."

"[Andrew] is a stain on the royal family and potentially on the Queen's ultimate legacy," Schofield says, noting that Andrew will not participate in "royal family events in the near future." She adds that once Prince Charles ascends to the throne, he'll want Andrew "nowhere near the action" because of the scandal, and due to the fact that he's wanted a "slimmed down monarchy" for several years now.