The Metropolitan Police has been told to reinvestigate sex abuse allegations against Andrew Mountbatten Windsor following the removal of his royal titles.
MPs and one of Britain’s top former prosecutors said Scotland Yard should reopen its probe into allegations that the King’s brother sexually abused Virginia Giuffre.
The former prince is also facing pressure to appear before a US Congress committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, with one of its members warning Andrew “if you don’t come forward with information, we are going to find all the information” and that they would “not let this go”.
The former Duke of York lost his remaining royal titles on Thursday and was ordered to leave Royal Lodge, his home in Windsor, Berkshire.
Scotland Yard decided not to conduct a criminal investigation in 2016 when the late Giuffre’s accusations, which Andrew has strenuously denied, were first made.
Nazir Afzal, previously the chief prosecutor for North West England, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “At that time, a statement hadn’t been taken from Virginia Giuffre and then in 2021, a further review took place based on findings from the civil case and also from the Ghislaine Maxwell prosecution in the US, and again the matter wasn’t investigated.
“So this matter hasn’t been investigated, never mind taken any further.”
He said: “Public confidence has been shaken by this. People do feel that there is some two-tier justice here – that if you are powerful, you don’t get the same level of attention as you would do if you were, say, homeless.”
A photo of Maxwell and Epstein, used in Maxwell’s 2021 trial for sex trafficking – AFP
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) could investigate if the Met did not do so, Mr Afzal added.
MPs backed the former prosecutor’s calls for a fresh investigation into the allegations against the former prince.
Stephen Flynn, the SNP leader in Westminster, said: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has had his titles removed, but serious allegations remain and it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the people of these isles wouldn’t expect a full investigation given the alleged public resource involved.”
Rachael Maskell, the independent MP for York Central, added: “There remains many unanswered questions, but as a private citizen, I trust Mr Mountbatten Windsor will be helpful at engaging with this and other inquiries associated with his former life.”
A spokesman for the Met said it had not previously undertaken a criminal investigation because “any investigation into human trafficking would be largely focused on activities and relationships outside the UK”.
“Officers therefore concluded that other jurisdictions and organisations were better placed to pursue the specific allegations and in November 2016, a decision was made that this matter would not proceed to a full criminal investigation,” they added. “That decision was subsequently reviewed.”
On Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that the King had removed his brother’s remaining titles, including the right to call himself Prince Andrew. The Palace also moved to evict him from Royal Lodge, where he has lived for more than two decades.
It emerged on Friday that Andrew will not move from his 30-room property in Windsor to his new home on the King’s private Sandringham estate until the new year, meaning he will not be there when the Royal family gathers for Christmas.
Andrew’s current home, Royal Lodge, which he will be leaving in the new year – Shutterstock
Scotland Yard is also under pressure over claims that Andrew asked a personal protection officer to dig up information on Giuffre.
According to a 2011 email leaked last month, the former prince asked his taxpayer-funded police bodyguard to investigate Giuffre, handing over her date of birth and social security number. Andrew has not commented on the claim.
The force said it was still looking into the allegations on Saturday. The IOPC said it had contacted the Met but the force had yet to refer itself to the watchdog.
A IOPC spokesman said: “We have had contact with the Met, which confirmed that no referral has been made, and as a result we have no involvement with these matters.”
Elsewhere, Andrew was warned that Epstein investigators will “find all the information that’s out there” if he refuses to testify before the US Congress.
Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, a member of the US oversight committee, said officials would “not let this go” and told Andrew that speaking to the committee would be a “great way” for him “to clear his name”.
Mr Subramanyam said: “I would like for him to come to our committee and tell us everything he knows about Jeffrey Epstein and the crimes that were committed.
“I think that this would be a great way for Andrew to clear his name, it would be a great way for us to continue our pursuit of justice for the victims, and frankly, Andrew’s name has come up many times from the victims… and we just want him to come forward and tell us what he knows.”
Credit: BBC Radio 4/The Today Programme
The US House of Representatives’ committee on oversight is investigating how Epstein, who died in jail in New York in 2019, evaded justice for so long.
In September, the committee made public the disgraced paedophile’s infamous “birthday book”, a 238-page album compiled by his then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking girls.
Asked what further evidence the committee could uncover, Mr Subramanyam replied: “This is what I would tell Andrew and anyone else: even if you don’t come forward with information, we are going to find all the information that’s out there possible. We are not going to let this go.”
Ro Khanna, a fellow congressman who has supported Epstein’s victims, called for “transparency and justice for the survivors who have been courageously speaking out”.
He told The Telegraph: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know.”
The former Duke of York is expected to receive compensation for giving up the lease to his home – possibly as much as £550,000 – as well as an annual stipend from the King’s private funds. Sources told The Guardian this could amount to several times his £20,000 annual pension from the Royal Navy.
Andrew is eighth in line to the throne and only an Act of Parliament could prevent him from ever becoming king. Sir Keir Starmer has so far resisted pressure to alter the royal succession, with Downing Street saying there were “no plans” to do so.
Although it is highly unlikely that the former prince could ever ascend the throne, it is not impossible. The three royals directly ahead of him in the line of succession are Prince Harry and his children, who, as a young family in America, are unlikely candidates to serve as monarchs. The other four are the Prince of Wales and his children.