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The Royal Family – they’re just like us.

If somebody in the family is in a bit of a pinch, the rest step up, cobble together the funds needed, and lend a helping hand.

Charming, except in the case of Prince Andrew. He must fork out a reported £12 million after his out of court settlement with Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

New York judge Lewis Kaplan has given Andrew until March 17 to make the payment in full, adding that a failure to do so would mean the case going to trial.

Since that settlement was publicly announced, it’s been obvious that the Duke of York would be relying on his mummy, the dear Queen, to bail him out.

That’s still the case, although it may be his brother, Prince Charles (also known as the Prince of Wales), who digs into his pocket first.

This via The Telegraph:

Prince Charles agreed to stump up the bulk of the money the Duke owes Ms Giuffre on the grounds that he repays it when he has sold the chalet…

“There were family discussions about how to ‘take a little from here and a little from there’,” a source told the newspaper.

“Once it hits his bank account, he can pay back his brother and whoever else has lent him money. But that payment (to Ms Giuffre) has to be paid on time. He can’t rely on selling the chalet. Too many things can go wrong and the court won’t wait for property queries.”

Put another way, the Royal Family is terrified that if this thing goes to court their reputation would be further sullied.

I expect The Daily Mail Harry and Meghan hit pieces to ramp up in the days before March 17.

Ah, right on time. A headline from earlier this morning – “Meghan may have a cow over this: Prince Harry is slammed for attending Texas rodeo despite his wife’s animal rights activism.”

Here’s the most laughable bit about all of this. Should Prince Andrew fail to pay that loan to his brother, it’s reported that it will simply be deducted from his share of inheritance from the Queen.

I wonder if he scored anything in Prince Philip’s will? We won’t know for quite some time, with the High Court ruling last year that the Duke of Edinburgh’s will is to remain secret for at least 90 years to protect the “dignity and standing” of the Queen.

All of the reporting above is based on an article in The Sun, so we should consider that and not take everything at face value.

Prince Andrew, likely holed up at present and feeling rather lonely, is trying to flog that Swiss chalet of his for roughly $17 million.

As The Daily Beast points out, those sales planes may have hit a snafu:

…Andrew’s side have confidently been saying the sale is on the point of closing for weeks now, the reality is that the war in Ukraine has upended high-end property sales all over Europe.

Image: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images

Russian buyers have long been vital in propping up the top end of the European property market. It wouldn’t be entirely surprising if the terms offered to a disgraced prince were being reconsidered.

What rotten luck.

Just as you’re about to sell your chalet to settle your multimillion-pound out of court settlement in a civil case where you stand accused of sexually assaulting a minor on multiple occasions, a bloody war breaks out.

It’s tough being a royal these days.

[sources:telegraph&dbeast]