The Metropolitan Police has expanded its scrutiny of officers’ conduct in connection with Prince Andrew, following fresh allegations that they obstructed efforts to serve a civil lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. The force confirmed it is widening an ongoing review into the actions of protection officers amid claims they impeded the 2021 delivery of court papers to the prince at his Windsor residence.
Court documents detail how a process server arrived at Royal Lodge on August 26, 2021, only to be told by Met security that officers had been instructed not to accept any legal documents and that anything left behind would not be forwarded. The server returned the following day, when the papers were finally accepted, leading to a settlement by the Duke of York later that year with no admission of liability.
This latest development also encompasses separate accusations reported this week that an on-duty Met protection officer received Ms Giuffre’s personal information, including her social security number, apparently to facilitate an investigation into her.
The probe comes against a backdrop of mounting criticism of the Met, which provides Prince Andrew’s security detail, for repeatedly declining to pursue allegations against him despite multiple reviews.
A Channel 4 News investigation, which aired at 7pm on Friday, reviewed the court filings and prompted the police response, highlighting how the force’s actions may have delayed justice for Ms Giuffre.
In 2015, Ms Giuffre first approached the Met with complaints of non-recent sexual exploitation linked to Epstein, but after consulting the Crown Prosecution Service, officers opted not to launch a full investigation, deeming overseas jurisdictions more appropriate.
The case was briefly reopened in 2019 following Epstein’s arrest on sex trafficking charges and subsequent death in custody, yet the Met again closed it without action—coinciding with Prince Andrew’s infamous BBC Newsnight interview where he denied ever meeting Ms Giuffre or having sexual relations with her.
Prince Andrew has consistently and vehemently denied all of Ms Giuffre’s claims, insisting he has no recollection of her – although earlier this month he said he would no longer be using his Royal titles.
Just days ago, Ms Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, have urged the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to examine the Met’s refusals to reopen the investigation.
An IOPC spokesman said: “Police forces are aware of the referral criteria under which, by law, they must refer matters to us and in what circumstances they can do so voluntarily.
“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.”
In its extended statement, the Met expressed condolences for Giuffre’s recent death and reiterated its 2015 assessment: officers interviewed the complainant, consulted international partners and the CPS, and concluded the allegations centered on events abroad.
The force added: “Following recent media reporting on the actions of officers in relation to this matter, we are considering whether any further assessment or review is necessary,” while declining to discuss protection details or the prince’s movements.
Allegations from six women against Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in the UK were previously published ten years ago, prompting another Met review which again ended without investigation.
