The Truth Show BLOG

Stripped of his royal and military titles, the Duke of York is facing trial in the United States.

“For Andrew, there is no coming back from this.”

AGRIM looking Prince Andrew glowered in the back seat of his $110,000 Range Rover Jan. 13. For months he’s been hiding out in his home in Windsor Park as the noose around him tightened. Things have gone from bad to worse for the disgraced royal. On Jan. 12, a New York City judge ruled that the civil case filed against him by Virginia Giuffre—the woman claiming she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times in 2001 when she was 17 years old, which he has strenuously denied — will proceed, de-spite last-ditch efforts by Andrew’s legal team to have the suit dismissed. Now, the 61-year-old — who was officially stripped of his military titles and charities by Buckingham Palace a day later — will have to either cough up millions of dollars to settle or risk having to bear all in a potentially long and scandalous trial. “Andrew is in a no-win situation,” says an insider. “Either he settles and pays Virginia off, or he goes to court where her lawyers will tear him apart.” According to the insider, royal aides are advising Andrew to pony up — to the tune of $25 million! “They are willing to go that high to get Andrew out of this mess,” says the insider, “before he completely destroys the monarchy’s reputation.”

GOING BROKE

Andrew is already in dire straits financially. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, is said to have shelled out the money he needed to repay a $9 million debt on his Swiss ski chalet, which he promptly sold in a desperate bid to pay her back. Then there are his astronomical legal bills to consider. “The Queen is footing the bill,” says an insider. “Andrew is bleeding her dry.”

And with the loss of his royal titles,— an insider tells Star the 95-year-old matriarch is freezing her supposedly favorite son out. In her shocking announcement, she not only stripped him of his military affiliates and royal patronages, but she also robbed him of the protection of being royal: “The Duke of York … is defending this case as a private citizen.”

GETTING UGLY

That suits Giuffre just fine. “Prince Andrew should go to jail,” she declared in late 2019. She alleges she was sex trafficked to Andrew by convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein (who committed suicide in prison in August 2019) and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell (who was found guilty of five of six counts related to aiding Epstein in his sexual abuse of underage girls between 1994 and 2004 and is seeking unspecified compensatory, and punitive damages. After originally asking for $5million to settle the case with Andrew, she later decided she’d rather make him testify in court.

The FIRM is hoping she’ll come around. “The easiest option is for Andrew to settle. The Queen could end up being dragged into case, and Andrew isn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed,” says the insider of the prince, who came off as defensive and tone-deaf in a TV interview about his relationship with Epstein.

“After the backlash from his terrible BBC interview, there’s no doubt that he’ll dig himself into a deeper hole at the trial. “

Indeed, Giuffre’s attorneys will be able to ask about everything from his sex life to the state of his private parts.

CUTTING TIES

A lot of damage has already been done. As I previously reported, the palace has been in crisis mode, having “countless meetings” to strategize how Andrew –and the Queen–should proceed. A seemingly unconcerned Andrew (who was spotted happily riding horses last month) appeared to be more worried about his social standing than the legal ramification of the suit. “Andrew is petrified that his circle of friends will drop him and he’ll be blacklisted from parties and glamorous events,” a source said before the judge’s Jan. 12 ruling.

He’s already been iced out by his older brother, Prince Charles. “Charles is so angry with Andrew,” (as if he can talk) says insider, noting that while Prince William and wife Kate Middleton are staying out of the drama,” they are likely siding with the future King. The insider adds that Charles made numerous pleas to the Queen to stop paying Andrew’s way. “Charles told his mother that covering the legal fees for sexual assault scandal reflects badly on the monarchy.”

SPOILED ROYAL

Despite his world crashing down around him, the insider says Andrew–no— stranger to scandal, from his bachelor rep as “Randy Andy” to his shady financial dealings–is still having a hard time understanding why he’s not getting more support. “He feels he’s being treated unfairly,” says the insider. “He regrets having any association with Epstein and is saying, “Yes, I’ve made mistakes in the past, but I’m no monster.”