BUCKINGHAM Palace must come clean about whether taxpayers are funding Prince Andrew’s multi million-pound court settlement, a former Cabinet Minister has demanded.
Tory MP Jake Berry cranked up pressure on the Royals to guarantee that “no money whatsoever” has come from the public purse.
The embattled Duke of York has agreed to pay up to £12million to sexual assault accuser Virginia Roberts to swerve a humiliating US court battle.
But the Palace is refusing to reveal the source of the money amid claims the Queen is bailing out Andrew – who denies all Ms Roberts’ claims.
Mr Berry demanded the murky source of the cash be revealed for fear taxpayers could be unwittingly picking up the bill.
He said: “There is a desire for the Royal Family to clarify that no taxpayer money whatsoever has been used as part of this settlement.”
Either the Government could clarify that or the Royal Family could clarify it. I think that as a nation would enable us to move on.”
The former Northern Powerhouse minister blasted Andrew on Question Time for putting The Queen through hell on her Platinum Jubilee year.
Labour MP Andrew McDonald will further turn the screw on the Duke to fess up by raising the funding mystery in Parliament next week.
He told BBC Newsnight: “The issue isn’t going to go away until people have that information and receive assurances that public money is not going to be used to in any way contribute to the settlement.”
Raging Mr McDonald added: “If he wants to go to his mother for a bailout, then the taxpayer has got to be assured it’s not going to be coming out of their coffers. Simple as that.”
Andrew only receives a £248,000 allowance from The Queen along with a modest £20,000 naval pension – leaving him well short of the £12million sum.
The Queen – who receives public grants alongside her private wealth – is reportedly lending him £2million.
