British authorities announced on Sunday that they are investigating allegations involving Prince Andrew allegedly requesting an officer to gather information for a smear campaign against Virginia Giuffre, his accuser in a sexual assault case. The probe follows Andrew’s recent renouncement of his royal title under pressure from King Charles III, amid revelations linking him to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Metropolitan Police in London confirmed they are examining claims made in the Mail on Sunday that Prince Andrew attempted to discredit Giuffre, who accused him of sexual assault when she was 17. Despite vehemently denying the allegations, the scandal has tarnished Andrew’s reputation and led to his isolation from royal duties.
According to reports, Prince Andrew allegedly shared Giuffre’s personal details with his security team in 2011 and requested an investigation, just before a contentious photo surfaced showing him with Giuffre. The police are actively investigating the matter, as stated by a Met spokesperson in response to media reports.
Email correspondence revealed that Andrew informed the then-deputy press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II about his request to his bodyguard, which reportedly went unanswered. The leaked email was part of documents held by a US congressional committee. Giuffre, who previously accused Epstein of exploiting her, claimed to have had sexual encounters with Andrew when she was underage.
Andrew settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffre out of court by making a substantial payment, avoiding a trial. With Giuffre’s upcoming posthumous memoirs set to be released, the allegations have garnered fresh attention. Giuffre, a dual US-Australian national, tragically passed away in April, while Epstein died in a New York prison in 2019.
In addition to stepping down from the Order of the Garter, a prestigious knighthood in the British honours system, Prince Andrew faces calls to be stripped of his royal status by Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, who believes King Charles should take further action to hold Andrew accountable.