Insiders say Prince Andrew wants to return to public life after his settlement. Photo / Getty Images
Insiders say Prince Andrew wants to return to public life after his settlement. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Andrew still thinks he "has a future" after settling his sex abuse case.
His friends have made the claim after he agreed last week to settle by making a donation to his accuser Virginia Giuffre's charity and insisting he never meant to "malign" her, reports Fox News.
True Royalty TV producer Kerene Barefield claimed royal experts appearing on the talk show shared the insight with its hosts.
"The royal experts shared, by speaking to friends of the Duke of York, that he still believes he has a future as a royal," Barefield told Fox News Digital.
"The language that he used in his statement, like the fact he will be helping sex trafficking victims, could be seen as him trying to reposition himself and reinvent himself in the eyes of the public. It's my understanding that [his daughter] Princess Eugenie also has a charity that helps sex trafficking victims. And it might be that he's trying to get on board with that."
While Barefield noted that not many would feel the same, Andrew believes he still has something to contribute to public life and he "won't go away quietly".
She said the settlement was a shock to those in the UK who were expecting to see a lengthy battle play out in court.
Insiders say Prince Andrew wants to return to public life after his settlement. Photo / Getty Images
"The immediate question that came to mind was, why now? According to the royal experts, there was a push from the Queen and Prince Charles to get things sorted. The scandal is not good for the monarchy, and it's certainly not good for public perception of the monarchy. So it's my understanding that Prince Charles and the Queen wanted this matter solved quickly so they can get on with their work and highlight the good that the monarchy still does."
The settlement avoids a trial that would have further embarrassed the monarchy.
The Telegraph reports that Andrew will pay his accuser more than £12 million (NZ$23m) with help from his mother. The Queen has privately funded her son's legal battle so far and will now help fund the settlement rather than have the case overshadow her Platinum Jubilee celebrations this year.
Andrew may be eager to put the case behind him - but Barefield suspected his woes are far from over.
"We truly don't know if in time Virginia Giuffre will write a book," she said. "And right before Andrew agreed to settle, there was a massage therapist who regularly treated the Prince that alleged he was a 'constant sex pest' to her. That was quite shocking. So it makes me wonder, how many more people could come forward with their own stories?
"Will this truly go away for Prince Andrew? Once the settlement is over, will more people come forward and speak out or sell their stories to the press?"
