New allegations against Prince Andrew are of "very serious and grave concern" and should be "examined in the appropriate way", a Buckingham Palace source has said. The source added that action was needed because of "what lies at the heart of this, the broader allegations and the issues highlighted".
The Metropolitan Police is "actively" looking into claims Andrew passed his sex accuser Virginia Giuffre's date of birth and social security number to his bodyguard in a bid to dig up dirt for a smear campaign. The alleged attempt came hours before a newspaper first published the photograph of Andrew with Ms Giuffre, according to documents obtained from disclosures held by the US Congress.
The claims emerge amid the publication of Ms Giuffre's posthumous memoirs, "Nobody's Girl", in which she wrote that Andrew's team tried to hire "internet trolls to hassle" her. In her book, she recounted allegations of an orgy with Andrew and paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and "eight other young girls".
Memoir details and Diana fears
Ms Giuffre described how she dressed like her idols Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera when she claimed to first meet the prince when she was 17. She said convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell bought her an expensive Burberry purse and outfits, including "a pink V-necked, sleeveless mini T-shirt and a sparkly, multicoloured pair of jeans embroidered with a pattern of interlocking horses".
Maxwell asked the then-duke to guess Ms Giuffre's age, and Andrew, then 41, guessed correctly at 17, Ms Giuffre wrote. She said she was paid 15,000 dollars and alleged Andrew "seemed in a rush to have intercourse".
Ms Giuffre also depicted how the death of Diana, Princess of Wales left her scared amid unproven conspiracy theories the royal family was involved. She alleged she had sex with Andrew four years after the princess died to keep "powerful" people happy while she was in the UK.
Andrew loses royal title
The King's brother relinquished his Duke of York title on Friday amid intensified focus on his links with Epstein and on Ms Giuffre's allegations, which Andrew vehemently denies. Ms Giuffre alleged she was forced to have sex with the prince three times after being trafficked by Epstein.
Pressure is growing on the royal family to back a move to formally strip Andrew of his dukedom through parliamentary legislation. York Central MP Rachael Maskell has called on Parliament to "act" over removing Andrew's titles, while the SNP's leader at Westminster Stephen Flynn said there is "no justification" for the UK Government not to bring forward an Act to do so.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the question of legislation was "a matter for the palace in the first instance" and that ministers "support the judgment of the King" regarding Andrew's titles.
Settlement and memoir details
Andrew paid millions to Ms Giuffre to settle a civil sexual assault case in 2022, despite claiming never to have met her. She wrote in her memoir: "After casting doubt on my credibility for so long - Prince Andrew's team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me -- the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well."
Ms Giuffre described how she took part in two days of mediation, and her lawyer read the duke's agreed settlement statement at 2.30am Florida time "through tears, both hers and mine". She wrote that there would never be a confession as "that's what settlements are designed to avoid".
Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, wrote an email to her co-writer shortly after being involved in a car crash saying it was her "heartfelt wish that this work be published, regardless of my circumstances at the time". She said the book's content was "crucial, as it aims to shed light on the systemic failures that allow the trafficking of vulnerable individuals across borders".
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
