Could Prince Andrew ever be prosecuted over his links to Jeffrey Epstein?
Prince Andrew is set to lose his royal titles in the latest chapter of his humiliating collapse.
Once upon a time, Queen Elizabeth II. The royal, believed to be Elizabeth’s favorite child, had faced calls to step away from public life forever after harrowing details of the allegations against him emerged in the explosive memoir penned by Virginia Giuffre after her death.
The 65-year-old, who has denied any wrongdoing, has faced mounting pressure to give up the 30-bedroom royal mansion he is now leaving and begin co-operating with the FBI in its investigation into billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The revelations have reignited calls for the Metropolitan Police to investigate the royal after it repeatedly refused to open a full investigation into allegations that he slept with Guiffre in London when she was 17.
The Met investigated allegations about Andrew and Epstein’s activities in London three times and chose not to investigate.
Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, said this month that if the Met refused to take action, police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) should review the decision. The IOPC did not receive guidance on the matter, Independent he understands.
It’s been more than 20 years since a member of the royal family faced criminal investigation. Princess Anne was charged with an offense under the Dangerous Dogs Act in 2002 after her dog bit two children in Windsor Great Park.
Independent It examined what criminal allegations (if any) Andrew might face in the UK and US.
Police meet as they investigate allegations to defame Giuffre
The Met Police confirmed they were “actively investigating” new allegations that Andrew tried to use police protection to defame his accuser.
Mail on Sunday He claims to have seen In 2011, emails were leaked in which Andrew said he had handed over Giuffre’s secret social security number (SSN) and date of birth to a taxpayer-funded Met Police protection officer; apparently for the purpose of investigating Giuffre’s dirt.
Andrew reportedly wrote in an email to Ed Perkins, Queen Elizabeth’s deputy press secretary: “Apparently he also has a criminal record. [United] States. I gave him DoB [date of birth] Social security number and social security number for review with on-duty police officer XXX [personal protection officer].”
Giuffre’s family said she had no criminal record and it was not yet clear whether the bodyguard complied with the request.
Dai Davies, the Met’s former head of crown protection, has called on the force to carefully interrogate the crown if there is evidence that he encouraged a police officer to commit the offense of misconduct in public office.
“It is time for Scotland Yard to launch a full criminal investigation into Prince Andrew.” he said the Mail.
“Asking a police officer to investigate an alleged victim is outside the officer’s duties, whether that means calling the FBI, calling your friends in the United States, or conducting self-investigation to see if someone has a criminal offense. In my view, that is a criminal offense.”
The allegations could also lead to a criminal investigation in the United States, according to legal experts. Under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, anyone who knowingly uses, transfers, or possesses another person’s SSN to commit an illegal act may face fines or imprisonment in the most serious cases.
Spencer Kuvin, who represents nine of Epstein’s victims said Telegram: “The penalties for this crime are very severe and may include up to 15 years in prison.”
He called on the FBI to immediately launch an investigation into Andrew’s alleged use of Guiffre’s SSN and request an interview with the royal, adding: “Both the US and British authorities should not be protecting this terrible individual. The world must hold Andrew accountable and show everyone that justice matters.”
However, the Met did not confirm whether it had launched a formal investigation or what, if any, criminal offenses it might involve. A spokesman added: “We are aware of media reports and are actively investigating the allegations made.”
Family court and women’s rights lawyer Dr. Charlotte Proudman said the guard’s allegations, if true, would amount to a “deeply disturbing abuse of power”.
“The idea that public resources can be used to discredit a victim of sexual exploitation reinforces why many survivors feel unsafe,” she said. Independent.
“This is not just about individual behavior, but the general failure of institutions, including the police, to confront misogyny and hold the powerful to account.”
Andrew accused of having sex with Giuffre
Giuffre, who committed suicide in April this year, claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times, once in London. The prince has always vehemently denied the allegations.
Andrew is mentioned a total of 88 times in Giuffre’s 400-page diary-style memoirs Nobody’s DaughterIt was published on Tuesday.
In her book, Giuffre claims she was trafficked when she was 17 and slept with the royal family for the first time while staying at the London home of Epstein’s ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. The Tramp says they had sex after a night at a nightclub and describes Andrew, then 41, as a “clumsy dancer”.
The next day, he claims, Maxwell told him: “Good job, the prince had fun.” He later claims that Epstein gave him $15,000 for “serving the man the tabloids called ‘Randy Andy.'” Giuffre claims she was sent to Andrew’s bedroom to have sex with him again while visiting Epstein’s New York home a month later.
Giuffre wrote that she didn’t know exactly when she had sex with Andrew for the third time, but that she participated in group sex with the royal and eight other teenage girls on Epstein’s Caribbean island of Little Saint James (also referred to as Little Saint Jeff’s by the billionaire’s friends).
In March 2022, Andrew paid Giuffre an undisclosed amount (estimated to be around $16 million) to settle a civil lawsuit in the US, but admitted no liability regarding Giuffre’s sexual assault allegations. He filed the lawsuit under New York’s Child Victims Act because it allowed him to bring claims that would otherwise fall outside the statute of limitations under U.S. law.
Given that one of the alleged attacks took place in London, the Met Police came under pressure to investigate.
Giuffre’s claim that she was 17 at the time does not in itself mean that the incident was a crime, as the legal age of consent in the UK is 16. But if it is proven that Giuffre was a victim of sex trafficking or that Andrew paid for the encounter, there could be criminal consequences for the prince.
Former Met commissioner Cressida Dick claimed “no one is above the law” when she promised to review documents from Giuffre’s civil case filed in 2021, but the force later confirmed it had taken no further action against the prince.
This was the third time the Met had refused to launch an investigation. According to Ms Dick, the issues police considered were whether there was evidence of a crime and whether the UK was the correct jurisdiction to deal with the case.
Dr Proudman called on the Met to reopen its investigation, adding that he believed there was an “entrenched problem with the police’s pattern of minimizing misogyny and violence against women and girls”.
“In light of other evidence that has come to light in her book, it is difficult to understand why the Met has not reopened its investigation into Virginia Giuffre’s original allegations against Andrew,” he said.
“This isn’t just about one man or one case. This is about whether the police are prepared to confront their failure to protect women, especially when the accused is powerful. The investigation must be reopened so survivors can trust that no one is above the law.”
Andrew is under pressure to help the FBI
Cabinet minister Peter Kyle on Tuesday called on Andrew to co-operate with US authorities and provide evidence about Epstein’s crimes.
In 2020, a federal investigator accused Andrew of providing “zero cooperation” in the U.S. investigation into Epstein and his co-conspirators, even though he promised to be willing to help when he stepped down from public duties in 2019.
This week, Business Secretary Mr Kyle told ITV he urged him to stay true to his word. Good morning England: “I think anyone with any information that could bring justice and information to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes should fully contact the authorities who are trying to bring that information and justice to the victims.”
He added: “These victims must come first and they must be at the center of how we discuss and debate these issues regarding the case of Jeffrey Epstein and his crimes. So of course, anyone, anyone, anywhere who has information that can bring about that justice should share it openly.”
“I believe Andrew has said in the past that he would cooperate, and I urge him to stay true to his word on this.”
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick accepted that Andrew must give evidence to US authorities “about what he knew and what he was involved in the scandal”.
Rape Crisis offers support to those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them in England and Wales on 0808 802 9999, in Scotland on 0808 801 0302 and in Northern Ireland on 0800 0246 991 or visit their website at: www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you’re in the US, you can call Rainn at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
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