UK Police Close Investigation into Prince Andrew Over Trafficking Allegations
Despite ongoing scrutiny surrounding his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, British authorities have determined there is insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges against Prince Andrew, Duke of York, over allegations of sexual assault and attempts to discredit his accuser.
After weeks of review, the Metropolitan Police announced on Saturday that no formal criminal investigation would be launched into King Charles’s brother. The decision marks the latest development in a long-running saga that has severely damaged the reputation of the royal family and led to Prince Andrew’s removal from public duties.
The allegations center around Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew in a 2021 US lawsuit of sexual assault and battery after being trafficked by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Giuffre alleged the abuse occurred at a home in Belgravia, London, in 2001, when she was 17 years old, and on two other occasions outside the United Kingdom. She claimed she was “lent out for sexual purposes” to the then-Duke of York.
Prince Andrew has consistently denied these claims and any other wrongdoing, settling the lawsuit in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. He has maintained his innocence throughout the controversy.
The Metropolitan Police’s investigation also encompassed claims that Prince Andrew attempted to pressure his police protection officer to investigate Giuffre in 2011, after she publicly shared her allegations. According to reports, an email surfaced in October, allegedly showing Prince Andrew providing Giuffre’s personal information to his bodyguard and requesting damaging information about her.
However, Metropolitan Police Commander Ella Marriott stated on Saturday that the assessment “has not revealed any additional evidence of criminal acts or misconduct.” She further noted that none of the protection officers spoken to by investigators corroborated claims that Prince Andrew asked them to undermine Giuffre.
“In the absence of any further information, we will be taking no further action,” Marriott said. “As with any other matter, should new and relevant information be brought to our attention, including in any information resulting from the release of material in the US, we will assess it.”
The Met’s decision comes after multiple reviews of the case, dating back to 2015 when initial allegations related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell surfaced. Officers initially assessed available evidence, interviewing Giuffre and other potential victims. They consulted with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and US authorities, ultimately concluding in November 2016 that international authorities were better positioned to investigate the allegations, which largely centered on activities outside the UK. This position was reaffirmed in subsequent reviews in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
A former senior prosecutor, Nick Vamos, suggested that a criminal investigation could have been warranted based on Giuffre’s allegations. “If Ms Giuffre did not consent to sex, and Andrew did not reasonably believe that she consented to sex, then it would be rape,” Vamos stated. “If it could be proved that Andrew knew that Giuffre had been trafficked then that would be compelling evidence that he could not have reasonably believed that Giuffre had the freedom to choose whether to consent.”
Giuffre, who died earlier this year, had detailed her alleged abuse in a civil lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York. She claimed that socialite Ghislaine Maxwell recruited her into Epstein’s sex trafficking enterprise, and that Prince Andrew was aware she was a victim of trafficking when he allegedly abused her. Her sworn statement from the lawsuit could potentially be admissible as evidence, while her posthumously published book is not.
Despite the Metropolitan Police’s decision, the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew and his association with Epstein continues to cast a shadow over the British royal family. The investigation’s closure does not necessarily equate to exoneration, and the possibility of future legal action remains open should new evidence emerge.
