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Prince Andrew probably digged deep into his pocket to avoid an abuse trial in the United States.
The civil trial against the second eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II should have started in New York City in the fall.
But the prince reached an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiff.
Charles Rae, Former Palace Correspondent, The Sun
“The relief at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle should be huge.
The out-of-court settlement prevents the Queen's jubilee in June from being overshadowed.
I think Andrew was under a lot of pressure from the royal family to settle out of court.”
The allegations against Prince Andrew are massive: a good 20 years ago he is said to have sexually abused Virginia Giuffre, who was a minor at the time.
Giuffre was one of the victims of US millionaire Jeffey Epstein and his partner Gishlaine Maxwell's abuse ring.
Maxwell was recently convicted, the sentence has not yet been determined.
Epstein took his own life while in custody in 2019.
Prince Andrew has always denied the allegations.
In order to avoid a trial in the US and a possible guilty verdict, he has now surprisingly agreed to make a "significant payment" to Virginia Giuffre's charity for victims of violence.
In a letter he also regrets, among other things, his connection to Epstein.
How much money flowed remains a secret.
In any case, Andrew's lawyer is satisfied.
Randy Zelin, Legal Expert
“It's the epitome of a good settlement.
Everyone gets something, everyone gives up something.
Prince Andrew is given the guise of silence and confidentiality of the settlement, along with news that he has made a donation.
He didn't have to admit any guilt."
Prince Andrew's reputation has been destroyed forever.
Randy Zelin, Legal Expert
“Prince Andrew is done.
He is toast.
It's radioactive, ruined."
And not just him.
Because even if it does not come to a trial: the allegations of abuse rub off on the entire British royal family.
'You will hardly recover from this. This severely damaged their reputation. If they don't now .
"I can't imagine that they will still have much influence in ten years."
'Prince Andrew won't be able to get that out of his head. People respect the queen, but they won't recover."
“They're supposed to be role models, but as soon as their flaws surface, you see them as normal people with all their problems. They will hardly be able to continue playing their role as royal family.«
The royal family had already distanced itself from Prince Andrew in January and stripped him of all royal patronage and military ranks.