Questions About Who Paid For Prince Andrew's Settlement Spark Heated Commentary

Prince Andrew's settlement with his accuser Virginia Giuffre means that the Duke of York will never have to see the inside of a courtroom, and may also never have to answer any questions in regards to his association with Jeffrey Epstein. According to The New York Times, the parties involved have agreed to an undisclosed amount of cash, and that the Duke of York "intends to make a substantial donation" to a non-profit organization "in support of victims' rights." What's more, in his statement to the press, Andrew admitted that he "regrets his association with Epstein and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others."

That said, The Telegraph reports that Andrew's payout is reportedly £12 million, or about $16 million, and that the money is coming from his mother, Queen Elizabeth — although that has not been confirmed. Either way, questions about who paid for Andrew's settlement is sparking a lot of heated commentary.

While there's no doubt that Prince Andrew might want this humiliating chapter of his life to be over already, questions about who paid for his settlement with Virginia Giuffre are still sparking a lot of dialogue, both on and offline. According to Newsweek, there's a possibility that the money might have came from the sale of his Swiss vacation home, the Chalet Helora. That, or it might have came from Queen Elizabeth's $500 million personal fortune, which includes Balmoral Castle and Sandringham Estate in her real estate portfolio, per Forbes.  

Either way, the internet sure had a lot to say about it. Piers Morgan, who is usually a royal family stan, tweeted, "The British public is entitled to know who paid for Prince Andrew's settlement given some of it may have come indirectly from taxpayer money. Outrageous if it's true the Queen's had to contribute towards silencing his accuser — how dare he put his mother in that position?" Another critic wrote, "Have I just paid for Prince Andrew to settle with Virginia Giuffre? The Royal Family are funded by the UK tax payer, has this allowed the Duke of York to dodge a people trafficking case? If so, the funding of the Royal Family must be reviewed [immediately]." In other words, everyone wants to follow the trail of that royal cash.