IN LONDON
Prince Andrew is facing a potential private prosecution over allegations of sexual assault, corruption and misconduct in public office as scrutiny over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein intensifies.
Following the release of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir and a leaked email between Andrew and Epstein, antimonarchy group Republic has instructed lawyers to investigate the disgraced royal and, if “sufficient evidence” of wrongdoing is found, launch legal proceedings.
As the organisation’s CEO, Graham Smith, told the UK’s Sky News: “Justice must be seen to be done”.
Republic said it will look into “allegations of sexual assault, corruption and misconduct in public office”.
“If not us, then who? It’s a devastating indictment on the UK’s criminal justice system, police and politicians – not to mention the king and heir – that we must resort to a private prosecution,” said Mr Smith.
“It should be a cause for concern that so many people believe – rightly in my view – that the royals are not treated equally in law. Equality in law is a basic tenet of democracy.
“I firmly believe there is strong enough evidence to justify a serious investigation. The truth must prevail and justice must be seen to be done.”
Prior to her suicide earlier this year, Ms Giuffre, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, alleged that she’d had three sexual encounters with Andrew, including once when she was just 17, while she was being sex trafficked by Epstein.
Andrew has firmly denied all allegations of wrongdoing and has also denied ever meeting Ms Giuffre.
In 2022, he settled a civil case she brought against him in the US for a reported $24 million, which came with no admission of liability.
Ms Giuffre first reported the abuse claims against Andrew in early 2015, but London’s Metropolitan Police chose not to investigate on advice from the Crown Prosecution Service the following year.
After Epstein’s death in custody in 2019, the Met opened a review into its earlier decision and upheld the initial call.
In 2021, the decision was reviewed a third time, where it was decided again it would not be pursued, following Ms Giuffre’s civil claim against Andrew.
The scandal around Andrew has been growing in recent weeks, with Channel 4 News reporting that authorities are set to look into allegations that royal protection officers obstructed lawyers attempting to serve legal papers to the then-Duke of York at Royal Lodge in 2021 after he was accused of sexually abusing Ms Giuffre.
Last week, the Met also confirmed it was “actively” looking into claims that the prince attempted to use his taxpayer-funded police protection officer to try and dig into the past of his sex abuse accuser.
