In August, London’s Metropolitan Police announced an evidentiary review over allegations of sexual abuse against Prince Andrew after his accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, filed a civil suit in the U.S. courts. On Sunday, the department explained that it was taking no action against Andrew and closing the inquiry.
“As a matter of procedure, MPS officers reviewed a document released in August 2021 as part of a U.S. civil action,” a statement read. “This review has concluded and we are taking no further action.” The department also announced that a review of allegations related to Epstein’s alleged fixer Ghislaine Maxwell—begun in June after broadcaster Channel 4 News passed along additional information—has also been closed without action.
In response, a source close to Andrew praised the decision to PA Media. “Despite pressure from the media and claims of new evidence, the Met have concluded that the claims are not sufficient to warrant any further investigation,” the source said. “The duke has always vigorously maintained his innocence and continues to do so.”
The reviews date back to the Met’s 2016 decision not to conduct a full criminal investigation into allegations of abuse made by Giuffre, which the department made public in November 2019, more than a week after a BBC interview about Epstein prompted Prince Andrew to retire from public life. In a statement at the time, the department revealed that it had previously made the decision not to continue investigating Jeffrey Epstein after receiving a report of what it described as “non-recent trafficking for sexual exploitation” in July 2015.
After Giuffre filed suit in August, Dame Cressida Dick, the chief of police, appeared on a British radio show where she explained that the Met had reviewed the evidence related to Epstein twice, but they would once again revisit their earlier decision in light of the developments. “It’s been reviewed twice before, we’ve worked closely with the [Crown Prosecution Service]” she said. “We are of course open to working with authorities overseas; we will give them every assistance if they ask us for anything within the law, obviously…. No one is above the law.”
The Met also said that it would continue to communicate with other law enforcement agencies working on their own investigations of Epstein. This weekend, The Sunday Times reported that Met officers had interviewed Giuffre as a part of their evidentiary review, though the department would not confirm the contact.
Though the Met’s review is closed, the lawsuit, where Giuffre is seeking damages for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, is still going forward, and a second hearing is set for Wednesday. Next month, Maxwell’s trial on charges including sex trafficking of a minor, conspiracy, and perjury is set to begin in Manhattan. (Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to the charges.)
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