According to reports, Buckingham Palace personnel are mocking Prince Andrew by adapting an ancient nursery rhyme in light of his £12 million court settlement.
After Virginia Giuffre claimed he trafficked and raped her while she was young, the Duke of York agreed to pay the massive sum to avoid a court date.
The disgraced royal, who turned 62 yesterday, denies any wrongdoing and maintains he has never met his accuser, who claims they met through the Duke’s late paedophile associate Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the Sunday Times, palace advisers are reported to have placed a new spin on The Grand Old Duke of York, which mentions his claims of ever meeting Ms Giuffre.
They have been singing: “The grand old Duke of York, he had 12 million quid.
“He gave it to someone he’d never met in exchange for something he’d never done.”
Andrew stated that he had “no recollection” of meeting the trafficking victim during his car crash interview with BBC’s Emily Maitlis on Newsnight January 2019.
This is despite a photo, thought to have been shot in London in 2001, in which he is seen with his arm around a then-17-year-old Ms Giuffre, with convicted trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in the background.
The Duke has already stated that the photograph is a forgery.
Ms Guiffre said Andrew had sex with her three times when she was an adolescent and so under the age of consent in the eyes of US law.
The king informed Ms Maitlis that he didn’t regret his association with Epstein, but he faced a tremendous backlash in light of the late financier’s claims.
However, people close to him have informed the Sunday Times that he “sincerely regrets ever being engaged with Epstein.”
“He is sorry, particularly for the impact it has had on his mother and relatives,” they continued.
According to the same sources, the £12 million settlement number is “off by millions.”
It comes following allegations that Andrew has been paying secret visits to the Queen at Windsor Castle under the cover of darkness every night.
He is said to have discussed the payment as well as his future role within the Firm, after being stripped of his titles and military affiliations as a result of the incident.
Andrew is reportedly said to have apologised to his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, as well as the Queen.
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