Queen Elizabeth news latest – Scandalous letter reveals her father ‘had affair’ & Charles ‘terrified’ of becoming King

Lawyer for Virginia Roberts ‘to quiz him Andrew in UK'

THE lawyer for Prince Andrew's sex-abuse accuser is set to question him in the UK for two "uncomfortable" days - but will reportedly spare the other Royals.

The renowned attorney, 80, has said he will not require evidence from Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, his daughters or the Queen, however.

"I’m going to try to get him to understand that this is not going to be combative"’ he told The Mail On Sunday.

"Obviously, I’m going to ask him a lot of questions.

"And although some of the questions may be uncomfortable, I’m not going to be aggressive or in any way offensive to him. I’m going to be respectful."

He expects his visit to last "a day or two" and, should the case go to court, Mr Boies said he "doesn't think we would need" other members of the royal family to testify.

What will it cost to settle?

• £2m and no admission of Andrew's liability – no deal
• £5m and admission he met Virginia – maybe deal
• £10m payout with no admission – deal 

Giuffre 'unlikely to settle if someone hands over a cheque'

Virginia Giuffre — who alleges Andrew sexually abused her when she was 17 — has previously insisted a financial settlement alone would not be enough for her.

Her lawyer — who has previously represented Hollywood sex offender Harvey Weinstein — said: “We would be unlikely to settle in a situation in which somebody has just handed over a cheque.

“So if Prince Andrew maintains ‘I’ve never heard of this person’, ‘the photographs are fake’, I don’t think we’d settle on that basis.

“That said, if you had a settlement that was large enough to be, in effect, a vindication, then that’s something we would obviously look at.”

London-based international lawyer Mark Stephens said he believed Andrew would have to pay between £5million and £10million to settle.

Prince Andrew faces £14million payout

PRINCE Andrew faces a £14million payout after his sex-abuse accuser’s lawyer signalled she would reach a settlement if he admitted the claims against him.

The monster bill is far less than the duke would face if he lost a jury trial.

Leading US civil law­­­­yer Spencer Kuvin said: “Damages against Andrew could range in excess of £14million.

"To punish some­­one worth a fortune you have got to hit them in their pockets and punish them accordingly."

Speculation over the case was fuelled by Mr Boies’ remarks which came days after Andrew issued a denial of her claims in legal papers and demanded a jury trial in the US.

Prince Andrew shouted at female gardener (Continued...)

The gardener, who The Sun on Sunday is not identifying, still works for the Queen at Windsor Castle but no longer tends the grounds of Andy’s home.

The insider said of the bust-up: “There was a team of gardeners tending the grounds and Andrew spotted a problem with saplings.

“He started screaming and shouting, ‘What have you done?’ The gardener was very upset and shaken.

“She has always been considered conscientious and hard-working. Andrew was over the top.

"You just don’t talk to people like that no matter who you are.”

The Queen employs a team to tend the 98 hectares at Royal Lodge, three miles from Windsor Castle.

The row in the garden erupted as Andrew’s lawyers were caught up in a battle with Ms Giuffre’s legal team.

Prince Andrew shouted at female gardener

UNDER-pressure Prince Andrew shouted at a female gardener over wrongly-cut trees — just days after he was served with his sex case writ.

The Duke left the flunkey “shaken and upset” in Windsor after he had been served his sex-abuse writ by accuser Virginia Giuffre.

An insider said: “He was over the top.”

He “shouted and yelled” at the flunkey who wasn’t to blame, it is claimed.

A royal insider said: “Andrew is under a great deal of stress but it’s no reason to take it out on staff doing their job.

“She had nothing to do with the damage and felt it was unfair. After all, it’s only a few saplings.”

The gardener was part of a team working on the young trees in October when the Duke stomped out of his 31-room, £30million Royal Lodge mansion on the Queen’s Windsor estate.

His outburst came soon after he had been served with a sex abuse writ by Virginia Giuffre, a trafficking victim of the prince’s former pals Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Numerous people are said to have witnessed his tantrum and haranguing.

'Disappointed’ Princess Anne to miss significant event

In statement from Buckingham Palace, it has announced that Princess Anne will not attend Beijing Winter Olympics due to the ongoing Covid travel restrictions.

Princess Anne is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the Palace announced she will be “disappointed” she cannot attend or sit in on committee meetings in the lead-up.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace revealed: “The Princess Royal is disappointed she will not be able to attend the IOC meetings in Beijing ahead of the winter Olympics this year, nor the Games themselves.

“This is due to the flight and COVID travel restriction difficulties in getting to and from the Games without losing too much of her busy work schedule at home.

How Andrew & Goga met

Born in 1980 in the southern Kazakh city of Taraz, then part of the Soviet Union, to an oil engineer, Goga Ashkenazi and Andrew’s worlds seemed unlikely to collide.

But at a New Year’s Eve party in Phuket, Thailand, in 2001, the then-20-year-old Goga was introduced to the prince and the pair stayed in touch.

That same Thailand holiday was notoriously when Andrew was pictured with topless women on a yacht and partied in red-light district bars with Jeffrey Epstein.

From the beginning, Andrew was reported to be “besotted” with Goga, and in 2008, the pair were seen enjoying a three-hour dinner together in Ascot, where the Queen‘s favourite son had already introduced her to his mother.

How Prince Andrew was ‘besotted’ with glam Kazakh huntress

A “BESOTTED” Prince Andrew struck up a close friendship with a glamorous Kazakh heiress who took him wolf hunting, introduced him to the son of Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi, and helped find a buyer for his unloved Sunninghill Park home.

Goga Ashkenazi, the oil tycoon-turned-fashion boss, has been one of the Duke of York‘s staunchest apologists in recent years.

In 2007, the Oxford-educated Goga helped Andrew sell his and Fergie’s unloved Sunninghill Park house for £15m, £3m more than the asking price.

And in 2011, he turned to the glam dark-haired beauty as he faced losing his position as Britain’s roving trade ambassador. 

The year before, he sat by her side as she celebrated her 30th birthday with a lavish party at Tyringham Hall in Buckinghamshire alongside 260 of her closest pals.

Andrew sat at the top table, welcomed by Goga as “my very, very close friend”. A week later, he returned the compliment by inviting her and a bevy of glamorous women to his milestone 50th birthday at St James’s Palace.

Kate hailed as ‘great’ choice to replace Prince Andrew

According to a royal expert, The Queen should give the Grenadier Guards Colonel to Kate Middleton as the Duchess has all the right qualities to fill the role. 

Royal expert Marlene Koenig told Express.co.uk: “The Duchess is the next but one Queen Consort, so why not be the new Colonel?

“I think she would carry out her duties with pride, respect and admiration for the Guards.”

The times Andrew was seen cozying up to women 

PRINCE Andrew earned the nickname 'The Playboy Prince' when he was younger, as he was pictured with his arms around a bevy of glamorous women while out on the town.

But despite that, in his infamous 2019 interview on BBC's Newsnight, the Duke of York claimed he rarely "partied" and wasn't a fan of public displays of affection.

Now, pictures of the famously teetotal prince out partying with women have resurfaced, as he faces a jury trial to clear his name over accusations of sexual abuse of a minor.

Here are six times Andrew was pictured packing on the PDAs as he spent a night on the town.

• Aurelia Cecil
• Ghislaine Maxwell
• Heidi Klum
• Chris Von Aspen
• Pascale Bourbeau
• Nadia Boejna

Read more here.

Prince Harry to 'share experiences that helped shape him'

Last year, Harry stunned the monarchy after announcing he had signed a book deal to tell his story.

Publisher Random House released a statement saying: "Prince Harry will share, for the very first time, the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses and life lessons that have helped shape him.

"Covering his lifetime in the public eye, from childhood to the present day, Prince Harry will offer an honest and captivating personal portrait, one that shows readers that behind everything they think they know lies an inspiring, courageous and uplifting human story."

Exactly what the book will reveal remains to be seen, and just how damaging it could prove to Charles and Camilla similarly hangs in the balance.

But Harry has previously shared how he experienced "pain or suffering" because of the pain his parents suffered in a potential dig at the way Charles handled the death of Diana when he was just 12.

He also told Oprah Winfrey that Charles "literally cut me off financially" in 2020 and discussed his "genetic pain".

Harry & Meghan's 'secret talks’

PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle asked for secret talks with Spider-Man couple Tom Holland and Zendaya despite them never meeting previously, a source has claimed.

The Duke and Duchess were eager to rub shoulders with the Spider-Man: No Way Home stars whose recent release took £1.27billion at the box office.

An old friend of Harry has revealed that the couple contacted Tom and Zendaya out of the blue and asked them to meet.

He told Mail Online: “Tom and Zendaya were rather bemused, from what I hear.

“Tom had never met Harry or spoken to him in his life, so didn't know what they wanted.”

However, the two couples did meet up in secret at the Sussex's sprawling, nine-bedroom Montecito home.

The source claimed: “The meeting took place.”

It's thought that the royals may have been eager to chat to American Zendaya and Brit Tom to persuade them to take part in one of their media projects.

Palace to be snubbed in Harry’s bombshell book

According to royal commentators, Buckingham Palace is eager to review Prince Harry’s memoir before it is released.

And, the royal experts even suggest that the Queen “deserves the courtesy” of seeing the book before its publication.

Speaking on Palace Confidential, MailPlus host Jo Elvin said: “There is also the issue of Harry’s book, his biography.

“That is another thing that needs content, that has a deadline.”

Ms Mansey said: “He has this super duper ghostwriter and it’s coming out this year.

“It does feel like they are on the final draft apparently.”

Seven bizarre claims from Prince Andrew’s legal papers

The Duke of York has denied being a close friend of Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker, while his lawyers say he wants a trial by jury to contest the claim brought against him by Virginia Giuffre.

Andrew faces damages which could “easily” be in excess of £14m if he loses the civil case, according to lawyers.

The Duke has consistently denied all the allegations, and on Wednesday, his lawyers officially filed documents to court. A trial is scheduled for later this year.

Here are seven bombshells from Prince Andrew’s court documents.

1. Doesn’t admit to knowing whether Epstein was registered sex offender when he visited
2. Denies being close friends with Maxwell
3. Claims he wasn’t frequent guest of Epstein
4. Doesn’t know if Virginia Roberts picture exists
5. Doesn’t know if he invited Epstein to Beatrice’s 18th birthday
6. Doesn’t know whether he emailed Maxwell about Giuffre in 2015
7. Claims Guiffre and others were responsible for her own alleged abuse

Read the article in full here.

Kate’s trick protect William

According to a friend of the royal couple, Kate Middleton had a clever trick to protect Prince William from girls he “could not shake off.

Laura Warshauer said there was a time where Kate came up with a clever trick to help William out when things got awkward.

Speaking to royal expert Katie Nicholl for her book Kate: The Future Queen, Ms Warshauer said: “Will was getting really hit on by this girl at a party and it was getting quite uncomfortable because he couldn’t shake her off.

“He was being really polite, but this girl just didn’t get the hint.

“All of a sudden Kate came up behind him and put her arms around him.

“He said ‘Oh, sorry, but I’ve got a girlfriend’, and he and Kate went off giggling.”

Jubilee coin to enter circulation

The Royal Mint has unveiled a new commemorative coin showing the Queen on horseback, ahead of the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee this year.

Some 1.3 million coins will enter Post Office tills across the UK from Monday 7 February, the Royal Mint says.

That makes the Jubilee 50p one of the rarest ever to enter circulation.

The design, by artists Osborne Ross, features a number 70 engraved on the tails side of the coin, with the monarch's cypher and dates of reign framed inside the zero.

It is one of two special edition 50p coins to be released as part of a Royal Mint collection celebrating the unprecedented anniversary.

The second coin, by artist John Bergdahl and depicting the Queen on horseback on its heads side, will not enter circulation.

Andrew to get 'help from Kevin Spacey to clear his name'

PRINCE Andrew wants to turn to disgraced actor Kevin Spacey to try to clear his name, The Sun has been told.

The Duke wants to distance himself from convicted Ghislaine Maxwell, who was infamously pictured larking around in Buckingham Palace’s throne room with the shamed actor in 2002.

The VIP tour was organised by Andrew — but he wants Spacey to tell jurors it was he who invited pal Maxwell.

A source said: “Andrew had invited Spacey for the tour of the Palace. She came with him — not as a guest of Andrew’s.”

Spacey, 62, is said to be “high on a hit list of names” who Andrew’s legal team want to call on after he demanded a trial by jury over sex abuse allegations.

Harry & Meghan 'recruiting new in-house staff'

Bosses at Spotify are stepping in to help Harry and Meghan deliver the goods.

They are recruiting new in-house staff to work with Harry and Meghan's Archewell Audio for a show that features "the voices of high profile women."

The jobs are being offered to applicants on short six-month contracts based in Los Angeles.

Harry and Meghan's only podcast effort so far has been a 35-minute 'holiday special' in December 2020, featuring celebrity pals such as Elton John and James Corden.

Fans have been questioning when their so-called "full-scale launch" of episodes would be coming.

With only one show under their belts, the streaming platform has so far paid the couple £500,000 for each minute.

'Categorically untrue that any help has been offered by Kevin Spacey'

The hope of drawing Spacey to the stand comes after Andrew’s request for a trial by jury raised eyebrows among many at the prospect of his most intimate personal details being presented in open court.

Both Prince Charles and Prince William are understood to be spearheading efforts to avoid the spectacle of a public trial to protect the family from any possible further humiliation.

The trial would see him face accusations from Ms Giuffre, now 38.

Last night a spokesman for the Duke of York said of Spacey: “It is categorically untrue that any help has been offered or that we have accepted any.”

The actor was unavailable for comment.

Andrew 'admits' links to Jeffrey Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell

The Duke's legal reply does admit his links to billionaire paedophile  Jeffrey Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.

The document, submitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, also sets out a series of defences "without assuming the burden of proof, and expressly denying any and all wrongdoing".

This includes arguments that the claim should be dismissed because Ms Giuffre is a permanent resident of Australia and that by entering into the 2009 agreement with Jeffrey Epstein she "waived the claims now asserted in the complaint".

'Prince Andrew, you have the intelligence of a dishwasher'

This is a comment piece by Jeremy Clarkson

He really believes that having convinced everyone in Britain of his innocence, all he has to do now is use his charm and intellect to convince 12 Americans that he had no part to play in the terrible Jeffrey Epstein saga.

His lawyers must be sitting in their offices now, gently banging their foreheads on their desks while saying over and over: “Please God, no.”

I bet it’s a similar story behind the scenes at the Palace. 

Of course, it is entirely possible he’s innocent, in which case we can understand his pain and frustration.

Read the article in full here.

Virginia ‘will accept settlement if Andrew is held to account’

PRINCE Andrew accuser Virginia Roberts will "accept a settlement if the Prince is held to account," her lawyer has claimed.

US attorney David Boies has slammed "victim shaming" Duke after he demanded a trial by jury in his battle against sex abuse claims earlier this week.

Mr Boies who is leading the sexual abuse case has said it is not about the money, despite claims, the case is likely to be settled.

He told the Telegraph: “What’s important for Virginia is to vindicate herself and the other victims.

"Not to let someone escape responsibility, just because of their wealth and power. To hold Prince Andrew to account.

"But how that vindication is accomplished is still open [to discussion].”

Queen's father 'had affair'

AN UNEARTHED letter written by Edward VIII, who famously abdicated the throne in 1936, reveals how he lured Lady Sheila Loughborough's husband away so his brother George VI could be alone with her.

The bombshell letter, written on June 9, 1919, has come to light after its owner put the missive up for auction.

In Edward's letter to his married lover Freda Dudley Ward, he wrote: "I simply couldn't hit a ball at golf & Bertie beat my head off, f- him... we motored on to Winchester reaching Lankhills at 5:30.

"After tea I managed to lure Loughie (Lord Loughborough) away on the pretext of wanting to play a few more holes of golf on the local course, so as to give Sheilie a chance of being alone with Bertie; they said they were tired & we left them..."

According to Mail Online, Simon Luterbacher, specialist at Forum Auctions, said: "A bit of sibling solidarity was at play as they tried to get George alone with Lady Loughborough."

The letter is up for £2,500 at London-based Forum Auctions, with the sale taking place on February 10.

Inside Harry & Meg’s business empire hidden in secretive tax havens

THE US state of Delaware is at first glance an odd place for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to set up a string of companies for their burgeoning business empire.

Some 2,800 miles from their sun-kissed Californian mansion, it is unclear whether or not Harry and Meghan have even visited the state famed for its peach custard pie.

Yet it emerged last week that it is here, on America’s Atlantic seaboard, that the couple’s busy business and legal managers have incorporated 11 companies  and a trust for the couple since April 2020.

The state, a secretive tax haven where company accounts do not have to be made public, has more firms registered within its bounds than it counts residents.

The Sussexes’ filings offer a glimpse into their lucrative work outside the Royal Family and the direction that their media empire is likely to take.