PRINCE Charles has been seen for the first time since loaning Prince Andrew cash for his £12million sex assault settlement.
The Prince of Wales was out on royal duties presenting The Queen’s Anniversary Prize for further education at St James’s Palace – just days after he was struck down with Covid.
He was joined with his sister Princess Anne to give prizes to eighteen universities for the award.
This comes as The Celeb Report revealed Prince Andrew will use a family LOAN to fund his £12million financial settlement with Virginia Giuffre.
Prince Charles persuaded his disgraced brother to pay off his sex abuse accuser, it’s claimed.
The Prince of Wales ordered the disgraced Duke of York to “shut it down” and pay up fearing his upcoming video witness statement with Giuffre‘s lawyers would be a “car crash”.
Royal sources say the heir to the throne met with the Queen last Tuesday at Windsor Castle and then wrote to his younger sibling urging him to “see sense”.
The cash-strapped Duke of York, 61, is still waiting for the proceeds of his £17million Swiss chalet – with the sale expected to be completed “within weeks”, according to sources close to the prince.
It means Charles, 73, and the Queen, 95, will instead dip into their personal funds to make sure Andrew can make the settlement and charitable donation before the deadline on March 17.
Andrew will be asked to pay back his “bridging loan” when he sorts out his tangled finances.
The remarkable turnaround comes just three weeks after Andrew demanded a sex abuse jury trial in New York claiming the case was “a marathon not a sprint”.
A royal source said: “The date of the deposition was the final straw of all final straws. Charles and the Queen could not countenance him giving a deposition.
“They shut it down as soon as the date was settled. It is a case of soft love as well – they are saving Andrew from himself.
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“Andrew famously thought his Newsnight interview went well. They weren’t letting him be skewered by a lawyer. They also couldn’t wait to see how much money will be left from the sale of the chalet.
“Charles wrote to Andrew asking for him to “see sense”. Charles and the Queen prepared a bridging loan so that Andrew’s lawyers could confidently make the offer.
“This means it goes away before the deposition date on March 10 and crucially before the service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh, which Andrew will attend as a family member.”
Charles’ appearance today comes after a tough week for the royal – as he recovers from his spell with coronavirus.
He tested positive for the virus for the second time on February 10 and was said to be resting at home while he recovered.
His wife Camilla was then struck down with a positive test four days later.
Both Charles and Camilla are triple-jabbed and have encouraged others to get the vaccine.
ROYAL RELATION
The Met Police have also launched a corruption investigation into Prince Charles’ charity over cash for honours claims.
It follows allegations a Saudi billionaire who donated money to the Prince’s Foundation was offered help to secure UK citizenship and a knighthood.
Clarence House has previously said Charles has “no knowledge” of the alleged honours and citizenship controversy.
No request to question the royal has been made, his spokesman said.
Royal insiders say it’s the charity, rather than Charles himself, under investigation.
A spokesman for Clarence House said: “The Prince of Wales has no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or British citizenship on the basis of donations to his charities.”
