Prince Andrew amassing legal 'war chest' to demand accuser retract sex abuse claims

Prince Andrew is reportedly putting together a multi-million dollar legal fund for a court bid to force Virginia Giuffre, a woman who has accused the Duke of York of raping and sexually abusing her, to retract her claims.

The prince settled Giuffre's civil suit in February of 2022 for an undisclosed, but multi-million dollar, sum, according to Fox News. Giuffre had claimed that the sexual abuse occurred on three occasions while she was 17.

A "royal source" told The Sun that Andrew had faced pressure to settle the case so as to avoid casting a shadow over Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee and that King Charles III privately supported the Duke of York's efforts to clear his name.

"Andrew has always insisted he is innocent and finally wants to prove it in a US court. He was pressured into settling the case to avoid overshadowing the Platinum Jubilee and has paid a heavy price, personally and professionally," the source told the outlet.

"The King is happy for him to pursue this. As Head of State, he can't back him publicly, but Andrew is still his brother, and he wants the best for him," the unnamed individual continued.

Earlier on Monday, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell said she could not recall having introduced Giuffre to the prince and asserted that the infamous 2001 photograph of the pair together was likely forged.

"I don't believe it's real for a second," she said in an interview with TalkTV. "In fact, I'm sure it's not... Well, there's never been an original, and further, there's no photograph. I've only ever seen a photocopy of it."