ROYAL FAMILY NEWSKing Charles 'Was at the Heart of' Ex-Prince Andrew's 'Cover-Up,' Journalist Says After He Allegedly Helped Settle Brother's Sexual Abuse Case
A new report claimed King Charles loaned disgraced brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor money to settle his sexual abuse case with Virginia Giuffre.
Feb. 12 2026, Published 5:05 p.m. ET
King Charles is under fire after a report claimed he used his own money to help disgraced brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor pay an out of court £12 million [around $16.3 million USD] settlement to Virginia Giuffre following her sexual abuse accusations.
For years, it was believed that Andrew likely got the money from their mom, Queen Elizabeth II, as he was deemed her "favorite son" — a narrative Charles went along with.
A new report claimed King Charles loaned ex-Prince Andrew over $1 million to settle his sexual abuse case with Virginia Giuffre.
However, a new story alleged the mother-of-four, who passed away in September 2022, contributed only £7 million [$9.5 million], with another £3 million [$4 million] coming from the late Prince Philip's estate and around £1.5 million [$2 million] coming from Charles. The rest was loaned from other royals.
Inside Andrew's Settlement With Virginia Giuffre
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor denied Virginia Giuffre's claims that he sexually abused her when she was 17.
The Royalist journalist Tom Sykes noted on his Substack that around 2018, Charles essentially became "co-monarch" alongside his mother. The settlement with Giuffre — who claimed she was sexually abused by Andrew at age 17 as a victim of Jeffrey Epstein's s-- trafficking scheme — wasn't completed until March 2022.
"The idea that he somehow wasn’t across the most explosive scandal to hit the House of Windsor in decades is ridiculous," Sykes explained. "Charles’ money was deployed to buy Andrew out of a full public reckoning, to shut down a civil case that could have put a senior royal’s alleged sexual abuse of a trafficked teenager under the spotlight in a New York courtroom."
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- OK! Spells Out the Questions Andrew Mountbatten Windsor Still Needs to Answer Over His Jeffrey Epstein Friendship
- King Charles Cuts Off Disgraced Brother Prince Andrew From Royal Allowance and Security After Repeated Scandals: Source
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'Charles Wasn’t Dragged Into This Against His Will'
King Charles 'was at the heart of the cover-up,' journalist Tom Sykes insisted.
"You do not sign off on a package like that as a bystander. You do it because you are making a hard political calculation about what is in the interests of the Crown," the author insisted. "Charles wasn’t dragged into this against his will; he was at the heart of the cover-up."
Charles has yet to comment on the allegation that he loaned Andrew money, though in October 2025, he was the one to evict him from the Royal Lodge and strip him of all titles.
In October 2025, King Charles stripped his brother of all titles and evicted him from his home, which is property of the royal family.
As more claims and damning photos of Andrew came out via the release of the Epstein files — including a picture of him hovering over a female who was sprawled out on the floor — Charles spoke out to assure the public that the monarchy would cooperate with authorities if needed.
"The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct," Buckingham Palace stated. "While the specific claims in question are for Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police, we stand ready to support them as you would expect."
