The Queen was today seen being taken for a drive around her Sandringham estate after it was claimed Prince Charles, Prince William and other senior royals are 'deeply shocked' by Prince Andrew's demand for a trial by jury.
Members of the Royal Family will urge the Duke of York to settle with Virginia Giuffre, which could cost him £10million, but he wants to tackle accusations of rape and sexual assault made by the Jeffrey Epstein 'sex slave'.
Senior royals are said to be exerting pressure on him to pay off Ms Giuffre to avoid corroding his mother's Platinum Jubilee, fearing a trial could be 'many times worse' than his car crash BBC Newsnight interview.
So far Andrew appears to be ignoring them, after the Queen 'swiftly and ruthlessly' forced him to hand back his remaining royal patronages and demanded he fight the case as a 'private citizen'. But experts have suggested his hard line could be a 'bluff' and a desperate bid to 'buy time' to reach an out-of-court settlement with his accuser.
Meanwhile the Queen, 95, was photographed this morning near Wood Farm on her Sandringham estate where she is staying for the next few weeks, just over one month after her Christmas visit teterboro airport to manhattan Norfolk was cancelled.
She normally hosts her family at Sandringham over the holidays, and on Christmas Day the royals attend church nearby. But the Queen chose in December to remain at Windsor Castle following rising Covid-19 cases at the time.
On February 6, her reign will pass the milestone of 70 years and herald the start of Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Her winter break normally ends after her Accession Day, February 6 - the day her father George VI died in 1952.
A royal source said: 'After the car crash of Newsnight no-one thinks a seven-hour deposition is a good idea. If he were to appear in court it could be many times worse and senior royals were deeply shocked when they heard that he was demanding a jury trial'.
The Queen is photographed this morning leaving Wood Farm on her Sandringham estate in Norfolk
The Queen is driven in a Range Rover this morning as she leaves Wood Farm on her Sandringham estate in Norfolk
The Queen looks out of the window from her Range Rover this morning as she leaves Wood Farm at Sandringham in Norfolk
Prince Charles, Prince WIlliam and other senior royals are said to be 'deeply shocked' by Prince Andrew's demand for a 'trial by jury' (pictured together at Prince Philip's funeral)
The Duke of York was photographed with his arm around the bare waist of then 17-year-old Virginia Roberts. In the background, Ghislaine Maxwell. Ms Roberts claims she was forced to have sex with the royal, he denies ever meeting her
Andrew's decision to speak to the BBC's Emily Maitlis caused major reputational problems for him and the Royal Family
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The insider told The Sun: 'The best outcome for everyone is that this is settled as soon as possible. There are deep, deep worries that this will get worse and worse for the family and will overshadow Platinum Jubilee celebrations.'
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In his official response to claims made against him by Virginia Roberts five months ago, the Queen's son issued 41 denials, rejecting all allegations of wrongdoing - but said a further 40 times that he 'lacks sufficient information to admit or deny' other claims.
