Queen Elizabeth allegedly paying for Prince Andrew’s defence

The Queen is opening her coin purse

The Queen is allegedly funding the legal battle against sex abuse allegations aimed at her son Prince Andrew. Queen Elizabeth II is reportedly using private funds to pay for the ongoing legal defence of Prince Andrew after being accused of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre who was 17 at the time of the alleged attacks. Last week Andrew added Melissa Lerner to his legal team alongside Andrew Brettler, whose firm, Lavley Singer, is known for representing celebrities, reports the Telegraph. It has been reported that Brettler is charging $2,000 (£1,500) an hour. The money will supposedly be paid from the Queen's annual income that comes from the Duchy of Lancaster estate. The same finance has recently increased from £1.5million to £23million. With the case expected to stretch for months, potentially even years, the hefty bill could to reach the millions. Virginia Giuffre is suing the 61-year-old for allegedly sexually assaulting her back in 2001 at the London home of socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. At the start of last year, the UK's monarch agreed to pay for the defence, reports the Telegraph. This would have come shortly after the notorious Newsnight interview where he denied assaulting Ms Giuffre and cited Pizza Express as his alibi. The Queen's involvement was an inevitable step given the Duke's lack of discernable income, says the Telegraph. In September, it was reported that Andrew's mood had plummeted. An inside source told the Mirror: "He's not been his usual blasé self, acting like everything is in hand. "The issue has suddenly become very pressing, and there is a distinct tension in the air." Related links:

• Prince Andrew has been offered $100 million to take lie detector test on live TV
• Prince Andrew is a 'person of interest' for prosecutors in Epstein case
• Ghislaine Maxwell prepared to give evidence in Prince Andrew sexual assault lawsuit