In a case that shook the monarchy and shocked the world, there appeared to be some retribution in the lofty settlement figure Prince Andrew would have to fork out in his sexual abuse case brought by Virginia Giuffre.

The amount of $23 million was widely understood to be what the Prince would pay Giuffre, who had also alleged being sex trafficked by paedophile financier and friend of the duke's, Jeffrey Epstein.

But according to the Sun, payment to Giuffre has come in at significantly less than the amount initially reported. Sources claim the disgraced royal's lawyers negotiated a much smaller deal in the vicinity of £3 million ($5.8 million) to stop a civil lawsuit being brought by Giuffre.

"No doubt this will have influenced the conditions of the agreement that she was prepared to sign," claims a source, who notes a non-disclosure was clearly left off the table, given the American-Australian is alleged to have a tell-all book in the works.

The infamous image of the Duke with Virginia Giuffre and the now incarcerated Ghislaine Maxwell. Photo / Supplied

Details of the deal follow the news that the Prince and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson bought a new home in London's upmarket Mayfair recently, to the tune of $9.6 million.

The duke's deal with Giuffre, agreed upon in February, did not include any admission of liability. Nor was there any form of apology. However, it said the prince did accept Giuffre was a "victim of abuse" and that his association with Epstein was regrettable.