PRINCE Andrew is reportedly trying to flog his £17million Swiss chalet as it’s claimed the Queen will NOT pay the growing bills for his legal battle with his sex abuse accuser.
The Duke of York, 61, is waiting on tenterhooks for a judge to decide whether Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s civil lawsuit will be ditched.
If it goes ahead, Andrew 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.
Andrew has always strongly denied all allegations made against him.
Insiders have claimed Andrew could 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.
But with legal bills spiralling, the Mirror has claimed the Queen “would not assist” any further financial settlement to Ms Giuffre over allegations.
He is now trying to sell the £17million Swiss chalet he has owned with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson since 2014 to cover bills, the outlet reports.
A source told the paper: “He is meeting all the costs himself so he needs to raise cash fast to pay bills which are increasing by the day.”
It’s understood the duke is trying to close the sale of the seven-bedroom Chalet Helora in the ski resort Verbier “urgently”.
Fergie and the couple’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, are enjoying a holiday at the resort while Andrew stays at Royal Lodge, Windsor.
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The duke’s team are waiting for a judge to decide whether Ms Giuffre’ civil lawsuit should be dropped altogether.
They claim a secret 2009 deal she made with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein exempts Andrew from legal action.
But Judge Lewis Kaplan is unlikely to accept the pending motion, meaning lawyers will have to decide whether to settle or risk a gruelling grilling from lawyers in court.
Ms Giuffre claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times between 1999 and 2002 — in London, New York and on Epstein’s private Caribbean island, which he vehemently denies.
Now 38, she has filed a battery and infliction of emotional distress lawsuit against Andrew.
No discussions about whether to settle her case out of court have been had between Andrew and his team so far, it is understood.
A settlement would mean he – and potentially other close members of the Firm – would avoid a court appearance.
But it wouldn’t go far in helping to clear his name following the duke’s disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019.
Andrew’s sex trafficker pal Ghislaine Maxwell was last week found guilty of helping to entice vulnerable teens to ex-lover Epstein’s properties for him to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004.
She could spend the rest of her life in prison after being convicted of five out of six counts of sex trafficking for vile Epstein’s paedophile ring.
