The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are looking into claims Prince Andrew tried to dig up private information on the woman who accused him of sexual assault, as ITV News Correspondent Sejal Karia reports
The Prince of Wales is reportedly “not satisfied with the outcome” after Prince Andrew, after the former Duke of York, relinquished his titles and honours amid continued controversy over his association with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince William is understood to be planning a “more ruthless” approach to his disgraced uncle, banning him from his future coronation and other royal events, according to the Sunday Times.
The newspaper reported that the heir to the throne was consulted on the decision that led to Andrew forfeiting his Duke of York title, but William “knows the ‘Andrew problem’ will be in his in-tray at some point”.
Meanwhile, it is reported Andrew tried to get the Metropolitan Police to ‘dig up information’ about his sexual assault accuser Virginia Giuffre, for a smear campaign.
The Mail on Sunday claimed Andrew passed Giuffre’s date of birth and social security number to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard in 2011 and asked him to investigate her.
Andrew, still a prince and living in the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge mansion, issued a statement in his own words on Friday in which he said he was giving up his Duke of York title and honours to prevent distracting from the work of the monarch and the royal family.
The former duke used the statement to insist claims against him were untrue, saying: “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.
“In discussion with the King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.
“I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me.”
Prince Andrew accusations: Timeline of the downfall of a duke
William is always understood to have wanted to take decisive action with regard to the long-running controversy surrounding Andrew and his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Sunday Times reported that when William is king, he will ban Andrew from all elements of royal life – public and private – including his coronation, and most state occasions.
Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s ex-wife, is also expected to be banned from royal events. However, their daughters will still be welcome at family and official gatherings.
The Mail on Sunday also reported that Andrew embarked on a bid to smear Giuffre.
He is said to have emailed the late Queen’s then-deputy press secretary and told him of his request to his protection officer to dig up dirt on Giuffre, and also suggested Ms Giuffre had a criminal record.
The prince’s alleged attempt, on which the police officer is not said to have acted, came in 2011, hours before the newspaper first published the famous photograph of Andrew with his arm around Giuffre in London.
The newspaper said it obtained the email from disclosures held by the US congress.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of media reporting and are looking into the claims made.”
A Government minister has called the reports “deeply concerning”.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband was asked about the reports while appearing on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
He told the programme: “These are deeply concerning allegations. I think people want to look at those allegations and what the substance is behind them.
“But if that is correct, that is absolutely not the way that close protection officers should be used.”
Asked if he would support legislation to strip Andrew of his titles, the minister insisted the Government would be guided by the Royals.
He added: “I think the royal family have said that they didn’t want to take up parliamentary time with this. There are lots of other things that Parliament is discussing.”
Virginia Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts told ITV News that he believed King Charles could do more.
“I want to commend the King and I want to commend the UK for taking some action”, said Roberts.
“While it may not be enough, in a lot of ways that the survivors view it, it’s still a lot more than what we’ve been given from our own government here, even though we possess the Epstein files.
“Now, for the King, I think there’s more that he could do. He does have the ability to strip him even further of the prince title, which we would call upon.
“I think we’ve already taken all these necessary steps. Why not just take it another step further and relinquish him of his prince title as well?”
Andrew’s standing with his relatives was laid bare during the funeral of the Duchess of Kent in September, when he tried to engage William in conversation.
William did not respond to comments made by his uncle, who stood by his side on the steps of Westminster Cathedral, staring straight ahead and barely acknowledging Andrew’s presence.
The King has already ruled that Andrew will no longer attend Christmas Day service with the royal family – and the statement on Friday was viewed as a final banishment for the prince after the ongoing drip-feed of scandal over the years.
Charles previously allowed his younger brother to attend his 2023 coronation, with Andrew arriving decked out in his Order of the Garter robes.
Now, Andrew has given up his Garter knighthood, meaning he will no longer be able to wear his robes or attend the Order’s annual service at Windsor Castle each June.
There had long been calls for Andrew to lose his dukedom, given to him by the late Queen on the morning of his 1986 wedding, after the long-running furore over his ties to convicted sex offender Epstein.
Charles is said to have acted, in consultation with William, Andrew and the royal family, on Friday after it emerged the then-duke had emailed Epstein in 2011 saying “we’re in this together”, three months after he claimed he had broken all contact with him.
In 2022, the then-Duke of York reportedly paid millions to accuser Virginia Giuffre to settle a civil sexual assault case, despite claiming never to have met her. The out-of-court settlement accepted no liability.
Giuffre’s posthumous memoirs, which are due out on Tuesday, have intensified the focus on the sexual assault allegations, which Andrew denies, and his links to Epstein.
She alleged that she was forced to have sex with the prince on three occasions, including when she was 17, after being trafficked by Epstein. Andrew has always denied this claim.
The Prince’s disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview, which he hoped would clear his name, backfired when he said he “did not regret” his friendship with convicted paedophile Epstein.
He was heavily criticised for failing to show sympathy with the sex offender’s victims.
Andrew also said he had “no recollection” of ever meeting Ms Giuffre and added he could not have had sex with her in March 2001 because he was at Pizza Express with Beatrice on the day in question.
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