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The Queen 'should not be blamed if she wanted to help her son Prince Andrew' after he is being sued by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, claims a royal expert.
Prince Andrew, 61, who is currently at Balmoral with the Queen, is being sued by Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victim Virginia, 38, who is accusing the royal of abusing her when she was 17 years old.
The Duke, who is ninth in line to the throne, has always denied any allegations that he had sexual contact with Virginia, but could be ordered to pay £14million in damages if he loses the US sex abuse case, a leading American lawyer has claimed.
Top US civil lawyer Spencer Kuvin, who represents several of Epstein’s victims, told Daily Mirror: “To punish someone worth a billion dollars you have got to hit them in their pockets and punish them accordingly. Damages against Andrew could range in excess of £14million. Easily.”
David McClure, author of The Queen's True Worth, told OK! that while Prince Andrew's 'finances are a mystery', the monarch could step in and help her son, who stepped back from royal life in November 2019 following his BBC interview, 'if the legal expenses get very high'.
Asked if the Queen would be 'hesitant' about subsidising Prince Andrew given the circumstances, Mr McClure claimed: "I think the Queen is in a bind.
"I think, on one hand, she is a mother and as a mother she would want to do everything to help her son who falls into legal difficulty.
"But at the same time, she is head of a public institution which faces reputational damage. She is 95 years old. It must be very difficult for her and also she has lost her husband.
He continued: "She is in a very difficult position. I don't think anyone should blame her if she wanted to help her son as best she could."
The Queen's income is drawn from the Duchy of Lancaster which is portfolio of land, property and financial investments held in trust for the reigning sovereign.
Mr McClure added: "We have to remember that she makes £20 to £22 million a year from the Duchy of Lancaster and she uses that money for her own outgoings but she must have quite a bit leftover.
"I don't think the Queen is short of money, she is 95 years old, and I am sure she is thinking about helping her children and her grandchildren."
He claimed: "I think that it is very likely that the Queen will in some way help, if the legal expenses get very high, that she will help Andrew out as any mother who is richer than her son will probably do."
Answering questions about his links to Epstein in a BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, Prince Andrew said the alleged incidents with Virginia Roberts Giuffre "never happened".
In a later statement, Prince Andrew said: "I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein."
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