Heartache at Balmoral THE LATEST SCANDAL TO ROCK THE QUEEN

Fears mount for Her Majesty as she prepares for the backlash over Prince Andrew’s links with a paedophile

- Judy Kean

She’s meant to be on holiday, relaxing after what has been an extremely stressful year so far. But now the Queen is having to deal with one of the biggest scandals to face the royal family in decades.

Just a day after Her Majesty arrived at her Scottish estate, Balmoral, the news broke that her second son Prince Andrew is being sued by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was forced to have sex with him three times on the orders of his friend, pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has “absolutely and categorically” denied the allegations, but now Virginia has filed a civil lawsuit in a New York court, accusing the royal of battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Virginia alleges that Andrew knew she was a teenage victim of sex trafficking.

Twenty-four hours after the lawsuit was revealed, a solemn-looking Andrew arrived at Balmoral with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, while his lawyers in London were holding crisis talks over the case. Royal insiders say there were likely to have been grim discussions inside the castle with his mother.

The lawsuit will be causing the Queen, 95, great trauma at a time when she doesn’t need any additional heartache. She is still adjusting to life without her beloved husband, Prince Philip, who died in April, and was believed to have been deeply upset about the bombshell interview grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex gave Oprah Winfrey in March, which included allegations of racism in the royal family.