An SNP MP has demanded the Queen reveal whether she bankrolled Prince Andrew’s £12million sexual assault case settlement.
Tommy Sheppard wants a new law that requires the royals to be transparent about spending from their Duchy of Lancaster estate.
The Duke of York reached an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre over claims he sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
It has not been made public how that was funded, with press reports claiming the Queen was to help financially.
Sheppard said: “Most people would find it quite shocking if funds were used in this way, and they would want the money paid back.”
Prince Andrew lost his military titles and royal patronages in January amid a public outcry over his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Sheppard wants to know whether proceeds from the Duchy – the monarch’s £500million estate – were used for the Duke’s settlement.
The Privy Purse is the Queen’s private income from the Duchy and she receives around £20million a year from it.
Sovereign Grant income given to the Queen from the Crown Estate is made public while money from the Duchy is not.
But Sheppard says the Duchy, which the UK Government runs, is an “organ of the state”, not a set of private assets.
The Edinburgh East MP has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a bid to make Duchy spending public. He wrote: “While the Duchy of Lancaster publishes annual accounts of how that money has been raised, it is simply handed over to the Royal Household with no further checks.
“Once in the Privy Purse, it vanishes from all public scrutiny and accountability, despite its public origin.”
He added: “This is especially important in light of recent allegations. Media
organisations have widely reported that Prince Andrew reached a settlement with Virginia Giuffre that included him paying her £12million.
“There has been wide speculation that this money came from the Queen.”
Sheppard argued the UK Government should make the Duchy income public through an Act of Parliament “similar to the Sovereign Grant Act of 2011”.
He previously wrote to Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, about the matter.
The Keeper replied that the resources from the Duchy are part of the Queen’s personal income and “in the main” used to support other members of the Royal Family to perform official duties.
Sheppard asked whether any cash was used for the Prince Andrew case, to which the Keeper said he did not have “anything to add”.
The MP told the Record the Duchy’s response had been a “little dismissive”.
He said: “It is not the Queen’s private wealth. The Duchy of Lancaster is not private, it is part of the state. The Queen only has access to it as long as she is Queen. She can’t take it with her. It comes with the office.”
He added: “Given I have been told to take a running jump, I think we need a law.”
Asked if he suspected that Duchy funds helped pay for the settlement, he said: “Sort of, because otherwise why would you not just explicitly dismiss the question? To refuse to answer plants that suspicion.”
Prince Andrew made no admission of liability as part of the settlement and has denied Ms Giuffre’s allegations.
The Treasury said no public money was involved, which would rule out cash from the Sovereign Grant
Downing Street, Buckingham Palace and the Duchy of Lancaster have been contacted for comment.
Tommy Sheppard is backing a new transparency law for the Duchy of Lancaster, which provides the Queen with some of her income.
We need this transparency law don't we?
Public bodies should not be exempt from FOIA
