Prince Andrew latest news – Desperate Duke ‘trying to sell £17m Swiss chalet as Queen refuses to cover abuse case costs’

Ghislaine Maxwell's guilty verdict is the final nail in the coffin for Prince Andrew

This is a comment piece by Ingrid Seward

PRINCE Andrew has been weighed in the court of public opinion and found wanting.

The verdict against Ghislaine ­Maxwell was enough to see to that.

He's now perceived as a one-time close friend with not only a convicted paedophile, but also a convicted sex trafficker.

I think the public were shocked by the explicit revelations of the girls who gave ­evidence against Maxwell during the trial.

They were also shocked to see the photographs taken by Andrew on his mother's ­private property — especially the one of ­Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein relaxing at her log cabin on the Balmoral estate.

It shows an extraordinary lack of sense and judgment and is one of the reasons it's so damaging to the Royal Family.

It's arguably the final nail in the so-called coffin for Andrew.

And it's quite sad because there are two faces to Andrew.

There's the arrogant, royal face and then there is the loyal, kind face.

And he's not an unkind person. His stupidity just knows no bounds.

It's almost linked to the ­arrogance of the old-fashioned aristocracy who thought they were above the law.

Andrew HAS sold £17m Swiss chalet to pay for legal battle

The Duke of York has settled on a price with a mystery millionaire for his Verbier home believed to be in excess of £17million.

Andy, 61, is said to be confident that paperwork will be completed soon and needs the money to fund his sex abuse case.

But the Duke will first have to pay off Isabella de Rouvre who loaned the duke money to buy the chalet and sued him for £7million two 18 months ago.

He could be left with around £10million that he can use to fund his US lawyers or even offer a settlement to sex abuse accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

A source close to the sale said: “A buyer has been found and a price has been agreed.

“Things are proceeding. It has not been completed yet. But it is hoped to be very soon.”

'Onwards and upwards'

Sarah , 62, was with daughters Beatrice , 33, and Eugenie , 31, were spotted at Geneve Airport after leaving their £17 million chalet bright and early this morning.

They were accompanied by their respective husbands Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank for the holiday over the festive period.

Two people carriers were needed to transport the family, plus nannies and luggage, from the swish Swiss resort of Verbier just before 8am where they have been since Boxing Day.

The Duchess told The Sun about her wonderful holiday as she headed for her lunchtime British Airways flight home, as she wished us “Good morning”.

She then cryptically added: “Onwards and upwards.”

But Fergie refused to answer questions regarding Andrew ‘s ongoing legal case in New York and the reported sale of the Swiss chalet they bought in 2014.

Andrew's attorney's argument

Prince Andrew's attorney, Andrew Brettler, yesterday argued that:

• PRINCE Andrew was covered by the "other potential defendants" clause in the settlement;
• GIUFFRE'S lawsuit against lawyer Alan Dershowitz was dismissed when the agreement was produced;
• HER claims were too "vague", adding: "She doesn't allege what this abuse was". He called the way she filed them "unconstitutional";
• FORMER New York governor Andrew Cuomo acted unconstitutionally when he extended the Child Victims Act deadline to August 2020. It allowed Ms Giuffre to file her lawsuit. Otherwise, her claims would have fallen outside New York's statute of limitations.

'I am haunted by photo of Prince Andrew'

VIRGINIA Roberts' ex-boyfriend has said he is haunted by the photo that appears to show Prince Andrew with his arm around her waist.

Anthony Figueroa was dating Virginia at the time when she was groomed by Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.

He blames the royal for the breakdown of their relationship – saying Virginia was "different" whenever she returned from the three alleged sexual encounters she had with him.

Andrew categorically denies all claims against him – and says he has no memory of meeting Virginia.

The Duke of York was pictured with Virginia on the same night he allegedly first abused her after she had been trafficked to him at Maxwell's house in London.

However, he has offered a number of explanations over the snap – which was allegedly taken by Epstein – including that it has been doctored.

Princess Charlotte 'isn't allowed' a best friend at her school

PRINCESS Charlotte is now in Year 2 at school – but she isn’t allowed to have a best friend there, it has been claimed.

The young royal started Thomas's Battersea in 2019 and was dropped off by Kate Middleton, Prince William, and big brother Prince George, who is also a pupil at the school.

Speaking on Loose Women, Jane Moore shared some of her insider knowledge of the exclusive prep school – and its rules.

She said: “It’s a really great little school actually for the reasons I think that it really focuses on kindness, it’s a really big thing in that school and the pastoral care is amazing.

“There’s a policy that if your child is having a party, unless every child in the class is invited you don't give out the invites in class, which I think is quite a good thing as you don't feel excluded.

“There are signs everywhere saying be kind, that's the ethos of the school. They don't encourage you to have best friends.”

Royal round up

• Ghislaine Maxwell demands dead paedo pal Epstein cover £5million court costs after being found guilty of sex trafficking
• Ghislaine Maxwell will NOT name names or cut deal to reduce 65-year jail term for sex trafficking, her brother says
• Prince Andrew rocked by claims he could be stripped of his Duke of York title if he loses sex abuse lawsuit
• The Queen's New Year photo convinced Prince Harry and Meghan Markle that royals were 'against them' , royal author claims
• Meghan Markle will 'create shockwaves' that will 'jangle the royal family' in 2022 says Princess Diana's astrologer

Will Queen’s jubilee be a bank holiday?

Yes, in November 2020, Oliver Dowden announced "a four-day Bank Holiday weekend to celebrate The Queen's 70-year reign".

The May Bank Holiday Weekend will be moved to Thursday, June 2, 2022.

An additional Bank Holiday will take place on Friday, June 3, 2022.

It means there will be a four-day weekend to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry 'want to sell £11m mansion after just 18 months

MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry already want to sell their US home as they are not "over the moon" over the £11m lavish mansion, it is claimed.

The couple have been living in the sprawling, nine-bedroom Montecito home for around 18 months.

But a source claims Meghan and Harry are now showing interest in other houses and are open to private offers.

The insider told the Mirror : "They are thinking of selling their house there.

"However, it won't be on the market because of who they are. It's only being shown to people who are confirmed with funds and are serious buyers."

Prince Charles message praising sons

In a letter, Prince Charles mentioned Harry and Prince William that he wrote to urge older generations to take meaningful action to tackle the climate crisis.

Writing for Newsweek, he said: "As a father, I am proud that my sons have recognised this threat.

"Most recently, my elder son, William, launched the prestigious Earthshot Prize to incentivise change and help repair our planet over the next ten years by identifying and investing in the technologies that can make a difference.

"And my younger son, Harry, has passionately highlighted the impact of climate change, especially in relation to Africa, and committed his charity to being net zero."

Meghan to receive tiny figure

Meghan, 40, agreed to accept nominal damages from the Mail on Sunday.

Last month, the newspaper was ruled to have invaded her privacy by publishing a 2018 letter the duchess sent to her dad Thomas Markle .

Associated Newspapers will also pay a sum for infringing copyright and a large part of Meghan's £1.5million costs.

In March, the High Court ruled in her favour after she sued.

The Court of Appeal then rejected a bid by Associated to have the verdict overturned.

Royal expert slams Harry's decision to release book

Royal expert Phil Dampier had previously blasted Harry's decision to release the book then as "disrespectful".

"If Harry had any intention to patch things up, he would appreciate that the year should be really concentrated on the Queen's Platinum Jubilee," he said.

"To release his book in the same year as that is disrespectful.

"The timing couldn't be worse."

However, we exclusively revealed that Harry could DELAY the book after Prince Charles offered an olive branch .

William and Charles 'absolutely furious'

The Duke of Cornwall and the Duke of Cambridge are reportedly fuming over suggestions the Queen may be asked to settle her son’s fees – although some sources have already said she won’t.

Andrew is currently waiting on tenterhooks for a judge to decide whether his rape accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s civil lawsuit will be ditched.

And in the meantime, it is believed he is having to raise funds to pay for the ongoing legal battle, with Wills and Charles both reportedly adamant the Queen should not bail him out.

A source told the Mirror : "They are both of the opinion that Andrew can sort out his own mess."

Prince Andrew has always fiercely denied the allegations against him.

If the lawsuit goes ahead, he will face a full civil trial in New York over claims he sexually abused Ms Giuffre on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17.

But insiders have claimed he could try to settle the lawsuit out of court if it goes to trial , with his lawyers keeping the settlement option “on the table” due to the negative impact a court case could have on other senior royals.

Piers is back

Nine months after refusing to apologise to Meghan Markle — which saw him unceremoniously axed from Good Morning Britain — the star is back: Bigger, better, bolder and, now, uncensored.

He launches his new, no-holds-barred column in The Sun next week and, naturally, promises to have the last word on the mouthy Duchess of Sussex .

He says: "The column is called Uncensored because it does what it says on the tin.

"Effectively I was censored at my previous job and told to apologise to Meghan Markle for an honestly held opinion, which obviously I wasn't going to do.

"Pushy little Princess Pinocchio tried her utmost to cancel me, and she will be in for a very unpleasant surprise when I emerge, like Lazarus, from my den.

"It was a pretty bruising experience on Good Morning Britain but I'm now working somewhere where I'm free to express my opinions.”

On the ropes

Prince Andrew's hopes of getting a bombshell lawsuit by his rape accuser dismissed were on the ropes last night after a New York judge ripped apart his lawyers' case.

Legal experts say the early signs are not good after Judge Lewis Kaplan subjected Andrew's legal team to a bruising encounter during a crucial hearing in the Big Apple.

Andrew's lawyers had been seeking to persuade the court that Ms Giuffre had waived her right to sue him when she signed a 2009 £370,000 ($500,000) legal settlement with the now-dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who was the duke's friend.

Yet Judge Kaplan appeared mostly dismissive of this argument.

He said part of the 2009 settlement protecting "other potential defendants" was "unclear" and pointed to two sentences in the text that seemed to suggest it could not be used by Andrew.

Pressure rises for the Prince

Prince Andrew faces mounting pressure to quit his military and charitable roles as the case against him ramps up.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun Online: "What might happen to Andrew is a form of 'internal exile', where he might, for example, manage the royal estates or something similar.

"He would lose his remaining links with charities and his military links.

"In a worse case scenario, if he were to lose the civil case against him, it might be agreed that he would keep his HRH but would not use it."

Royal courtiers were last week reported to have discussed plans to send Andrew into "internal exile" — including stopping him using his title and other options, such as giving up all his charity links.

BBC should play God Save The Queen every day, say Tories

Andrew Rosindell MP told the Commons the anthem provides "a great sense of unity and pride".

He said during the Platinum Jubilee the BBC should play it at the end of programming — at 1am or 2am depending on weekdays or weekends.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries described the suggestion as "fantastic".

The BBC used to play the anthem every night but the tradition was scrapped in 1997.

Culture minister Chris Philp backed the idea and other expressions of patriotism, including flying the Union Jack.

He said: "The more we hear the national anthem sung, frankly, the better.

"Organisations like schools are free to promote it and the more we can do in this area, the better it'll be."

Meg & Harry 'couldn't trade on royal titles'

Meghan and Harry founded the outfit in 2019 and called it Sussex Royal – The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

But they were told they couldn't trade on their royal titles after they announced they were stepping back from court life and they changed the name to MWX Foundation.

Meghan and Harry previously aced criticism for spending £300,000 to start their Sussex Royal foundation only to quit 12 months later.

The organisation spent half the money on legal and admin fees setting it up and closing it down.

How Ghislaine Maxwell partied with missing woman's boss

MISSING Heidi Planck's alleged fraudster boss partied with Jeffrey Epstein's madam Ghislaine Maxwell at an Oscars party in Hollywood, The Sun can exclusively reveal.

Heidi , 39, vanished in highly suspicious circumstances after attending her 11-year-old son's flag football game in Los Angeles on October 17.

Heidi's ex-husband Jim Wayne – who was the first to report her missing – has previously claimed that cops are looking into her job as an accountant for Camden Capital managing partner Jason Sugarman as a main line of inquiry.

Sugarman is currently facing a civil case brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission over a scam in which he allegedly helped steal $43 million and left a Native American tribe $60 million in debt.

Now it has emerged that Sugarman also hobnobbed with British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted last week of grooming minors for sexual abuse by her late associate Epstein .

Sugarman and Maxwell were pictured spending time together at an Oscars party in West Hollywood in 2012 on a socialite’s blog which can be seen here .

Family could give evidence

Andrew's own family could be called as witnesses in the rape lawsuit against him in a bid to blow apart the royal's Pizza Express alibi.

Legal experts said Andrew's hopes of having the lawsuit dismissed were on the ropes last night after Judge Lewis Kaplan ripped apart his lawyers' case.

Yet Judge Kaplan appeared mostly dismissive of this argument.

If the case goes ahead, here are five witnesses – including members of Andrew's own family – who could be called to give evidence.

1. Princess Beatrice
2. Meghan Markle
3. Princess Eugenie
4. Sarah Ferguson
5. Anonymous nightclub witness

Read the article in full here .

Harry’s ‘shock’ at Andrews behaviour

A FORMER royal chef at Kensington Palace claims Prince Harry was left "shocked" over how Prince Andrew would speak to kitchen staff.

Darren McGrady, who worked for the royals for 15 years, said a young Harry would "pull a face" when Andrew would "bark at staff" and demand food.

Darren was a private chef for the Queen, Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry, and said Diana tried to raise her sons with impeccable manners.

He told biographer Chris Hutchins for his 2013 book Harry: The People’s Prince: "[Diana] would often bring William and Harry down to the kitchen to say thank you after a meal they'd enjoyed.”

Darren claimed that a young Harry would "pull a face" over how rude Andrew was to staff.

He said: "Andrew always came straight to the point and told you exactly what he wanted.

"Whereas Harry had been taught to say 'Please may I have…', Andrew would bark, 'Where are my mangoes? I want my mangoes."

"I'm not surprised that Harry has turned out to be the same as Diana. She doted on him."

‘You can’t make Andrew resign’

The Sunday Times reported that royal insiders said it would be difficult to persuade the Queen to take away the title of Duke of York as "it was held by her father, George VI, before he became king and she bestowed it on her favourite son – But he has disgraced that title".

One source told publication: "If he loses the case, the question is what do you do with him?

“You can't make him resign like you would a normal person but he would be asked to put his dukedom into abeyance."

Royal comparison

A royal expert has compared the Duchess of Cambridge to Diana, complimenting her patience and ‘ability to listen’.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward said: "She is patient, and has the ability to listen.

"And she has discovered she has this ability with people, she is very good with the very young and the very old.

"That is like Diana was."

How will the Queen spend her Jubilee?

The national Jubilee festivities are taking place in June over a four-day holiday weekend.

But the Queen is actually set to pass the milestone on February 6 – the anniversary of the death of her father King George VI in 1952.

The Queen usually spends her accession day privately at Sandringham, but it is possible she may be seen at church, or carry out a local engagement in Norfolk as she has done in the past on milestone jubilees.

The royal extravaganza from June 2-5 – with an extra Bank Holiday – includes Trooping the Colour, a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, a visit to the Epsom Derby, a live concert at Buckingham Palace, and street parties and picnics.

A Platinum Jubilee Pageant will also be staged on June 5 against the backdrop of the Palace and along The Mall in central London, and combine street arts, theatre, music, circus, carnival and costume.

But how much the public will see of the Queen during the celebrations has not yet been confirmed by Buckingham Palace.

‘I didn't know who on Earth she was’

The Sun's Royal Photographer tells the remarkable inside story of how he watched through his lens as shy art student Kate Middleton transformed into our future Queen.

"The first time I took a photograph of Kate Middleton, I didn't know who on Earth she was.

" Prince William had invited a group of his friends from university to Sandringham for the weekend.

"It was only when I was looking through some old photographs recently that I spotted Kate among William's pals.

"And you would not recognise her.

"Back then you would never have credited that the young woman who walked through those gates would turn out to be our future queen.

"Kate is now the ultimate media star."