UK Metropolitan Police looking into claims Andrew sought information on accuser
Baku, October 20, AZERTAC
UK Metropolitan Police said it is "actively" looking into media reports that Prince Andrew tried to obtain personal information about his accuser Virginia Giuffre through his police protection, BBC reported.
"We are aware of media reporting and are actively looking into the claims made," the force said on Sunday.
Ms. Giuffre, who took her own life earlier this year, said she was among the girls and young women sexually exploited by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his wealthy circle.
Prince Andrew has not commented on the reports, but consistently denies all allegations against him. Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.
Ms. Giuffre also claimed that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions, including when she was 17 at the home of his friend Ghislaine Maxwell in London, in 2001.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence on sex-trafficking charges related to Epstein, her former boyfriend.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Prince Andrew asked his police protection officer to investigate her just before the newspaper published a photo of Ms Giuffre's first meeting with the prince in February 2011.
The paper alleged that he gave the officer her date of birth and confidential social security number.
The Sunday Telegraph also claimed that Prince Andrew "sought to dig up dirt" on Ms. Giuffre.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, speaking on BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, called it "deeply concerning", adding that if true, "it's absolutely not the way that close protection officers should be used".
On Friday, Prince Andrew announced that he was voluntarily deciding not to use his titles and giving up membership of the Order of the Garter - the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain.
He will no longer use his Duke of York title, an honor received from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The prince had already ceased to be a "working royal" and had lost the use of his HRH title and no longer appeared at official royal events. His role now will be even more diminished.
Prince Andrew has faced a series of scandals over recent years, including making an out-of-court settlement with Ms. Giuffre in 2022, after she had brought a civil case against him.
A posthumous memoir by Ms Giuffre to be released next week is likely to cast further attention on the prince's involvement with her and Epstein.
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