After agreement with Virginia Giuffre
Now the neighbors are speaking: Andrew’s luxury ski chalet should bring millions
Prince Andrew with his daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier in 2001
© PA Andrew Parsons/ / Picture Alliance
Prince Andrew is said to have sold his luxury villa in the Swiss Alps to pay for the out-of-court settlement with plaintiff Virginia Giuffre. Neighbors hint at this in conversation with the British press.
After the out-of-court settlement with the plaintiff Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew faces financial problems. The official letter spoke of an unspecified sum that would be paid to a victims’ association, among other things. British media speculate that it could be more than twelve million pounds. Money that the duke doesn’t have on hand. That’s where his luxury villa in the Swiss Alps comes in.
It was announced a month ago that the Duke had apparently found a buyer for his luxurious ski chalet in Verbier. However, the sale is not yet finalized, which is why Andrew cannot get the money. He and his family regularly holiday in Verbier, and the villa, which has a sauna, pool and seven bedrooms, is said to be worth £18million. And now apparently helping him to bring the allegations of abuse to an end.
Andrew’s neighbors are sure: he was forced to sell
“Andrew and his family loved the chalet. He would never have sold it unless he was forced to,” says a neighbor in Verbier. Apparently, Andrew wanted to avoid a trial that would have meant a lot of shame for him and the members of the royal family – no matter how much he protested his innocence. “It looks like selling was the only option for him to ensure he had the wherewithal for his legal fees and a settlement,” the neighbor continued.
The Queen is also said to have grudgingly used her private assets to buy her son’s ransom – it is not known how many millions flowed from Andrew’s mother. He himself could not even have paid for the lawsuit without her help. The Duke is on a naval pension only and receives an annual allowance of £250,000 from the Queen. The cost of his legal counsel is estimated to be around $6 million.
Sources: “Daily Mail”, “Telegraph”