Queen Elizabeth is reportedly spending millions of dollars to fund Prince Andrew's legal team as he continues to push back against accusations of sexual abuse.
Virginia Giuffre sued Prince Andrew in New York, alleging that he sexually abused her three different times when she was only 17 years old. Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Prince Andrew's defense team recently added a new member, US attorney Melissa Lerner. The Daily Mail reports that Lerner is reportedly charging Prince Andrew around $2,000 an hour for her services.
The legal fees are reportedly being covered by the Queen's Duchy of Lancaster. According to the official site for the duchy, "the rural estates consist of 18,481 hectares of land in England and Wales and comprise commercial, agricultural and residential properties, the majority of which are in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire and Lincolnshire. Additionally the Duchy has a significant commercial property portfolio largely in the Savoy precinct off the Strand in London, a portfolio of financial investments and a small urban residential portfolio."
Understanding what the Duchy of Lancaster really is can be difficult at best. As Town & Country magazine explains, the royal family is supported by both private and public funds. The Duchy of Lancaster is private; it was established in 1399 as an independent income source for the monarch.
In 2020, the profits of the Duchy of Lancaster were around $30 million. The Queen uses the money to support members of the royal family who are considered working royals but who do not receive public funds, such as her children Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
The Duchy of Lancaster is also hugely important to the monarchy as a whole. The Queen is not required to pay taxes on the company, and she also benefits from numerous tax breaks that have all helped the overall value of the Duchy of Lancaster to swell.
That wealth will help the Queen, as Prince Andrew's legal troubles could last months or even years and will likely end up costing millions upon millions of dollars.
Prince Andrew was served in September 2021.
