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The Final Reckoning of the Duke of York

The Mirage of Peace in Gaza's Second Act

Sunday, 19 October 2025 20:49

Abstract

A new police inquiry into allegations that Prince Andrew attempted to use a state-funded protection officer to conduct a smear campaign against his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, has intensified the crisis surrounding the former Duke of York. The investigation by the Metropolitan Police follows the recent relinquishing of his remaining royal titles and honours, a move precipitated by the emergence of correspondence that contradicted his public account of severing ties with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The latest scrutiny focuses on the alleged misuse of public resources in an effort to discredit a woman who maintained she was trafficked to the prince when she was a minor.

Historical Context

Recent Findings

A New Police Inquiry into Alleged Misconduct

The Metropolitan Police Service in London has confirmed it is actively examining claims that Prince Andrew sought to enlist a taxpayer-funded close protection officer in an effort to gather damaging information on Virginia Giuffre3,4,5,13,17,18. This development, announced on 19 October 2025, plunges the former Duke of York into a fresh crisis, just days after he agreed to relinquish his remaining royal titles3,5,13,16. The allegations centre on an email Prince Andrew reportedly sent in 2011 to Queen Elizabeth II’s then-deputy press secretary, Ed Perkins4,14,18. In the correspondence, the prince allegedly stated that he had asked one of his personal protection officers to investigate Ms Giuffre4,14. The email reportedly contained Ms Giuffre’s date of birth and her confidential nine-digit United States social security number4,5,14,18. Prince Andrew is alleged to have claimed in the message that Ms Giuffre had a criminal record in the US4,14. The request for this investigation was reportedly made hours before a now-infamous photograph of the prince with Ms Giuffre was published in the media4,5,14,17,18. Ms Giuffre’s family has publicly stated that she did not, in fact, have a criminal record4,14,17. The Metropolitan Police’s statement confirmed that the force was “aware of media reporting and are actively looking into the claims made”3,4,5,17,18. The core of the police inquiry is the alleged misuse of a state-funded police officer for a private, potentially defamatory, purpose13,17. A government minister, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, characterised the allegations as “deeply concerning” during a broadcast interview, stressing that the use of close protection officers in such a manner would be entirely inappropriate4,5,13,17. There is no current suggestion that the police officer complied with the prince’s request to obtain the information4,16,18. However, the mere act of making the request and providing confidential personal data to a police officer for this purpose raises serious questions about the prince’s conduct and the potential breach of police protocol and public trust13,17. The family of Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide in April 2025 at the age of 41, has called for a full investigation into how Prince Andrew obtained her private information3,4,5,14,17,18,19. Her brother, Sky Roberts, has also publicly urged King Charles III to go further and strip Prince Andrew of his birthright title of ‘Prince’3,14,19. The timing of the new police probe is significant, coinciding with the imminent publication of Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which is due to be released shortly after the latest revelations14,16,17,18,19. The book is reported to contain further explosive claims, including an allegation that she lost her baby days after participating in an orgy with Prince Andrew and eight other girls at Jeffrey Epstein’s Caribbean island, Little St James, which she referred to as 'Little Saint Jeff’s'19. Prince Andrew has consistently and vigorously denied all sexual allegations made against him2,3,6,7,13,14,16,17,18,19.

The Final Stripping of Royal Titles

The new police investigation follows a dramatic week for the royal family, which culminated in Prince Andrew’s agreement to relinquish his remaining royal titles and honours on 17 October 20252,6,7,13,16. The decision, made in consultation with King Charles III, marked the completion of the prince’s withdrawal from public royal life, a process that began six years earlier2,6,7. The titles he agreed to put in abeyance included the Duke of York, a title bestowed upon him by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on the morning of his wedding in 19862,3,6. He also relinquished his associated honours, including his role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter2,6,7. The immediate catalyst for this final step was the emergence of further correspondence that contradicted his long-held public narrative regarding his friendship with the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein2,4,5,13,17. During his disastrous 2019 interview with the BBC’s *Newsnight* programme, Prince Andrew had claimed he had cut off all contact with Epstein in December 20104,9,13,17. However, emails surfaced last week suggesting he was still in contact with the disgraced financier in February 2011, months after the alleged break2,4,5,13,17. One message, reportedly sent on 28 February 2011, allegedly showed Prince Andrew messaging Epstein following the publication of the photograph with Ms Giuffre, stating they were “in this together” and would “have to rise above it”2,13,17. Another message, sent months after their alleged separation, concluded with the phrase: “Keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!”5. The revelation of this correspondence was considered the ‘last straw’ for the House of Windsor, which had been attempting to insulate the monarchy from the years of scandal9,13. In a personal statement released on 17 October 2025, Prince Andrew said that the “continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family”7. He added that he had decided to “put my duty to my family and country first” and that he would no longer use his titles or honours with the King’s agreement6,7. While he will no longer use the titles, he retains his status as a Prince, a birthright as the son of a monarch, and the dukedom itself, which can only be formally removed by an Act of Parliament6,7. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also lose the use of the Duchess of York title6,7. This latest move follows the initial, more significant stripping of his public roles in January 2022, when Queen Elizabeth II removed his honorary military titles and royal patronages, and he ceased using his ‘His Royal Highness’ style in an effort to distance the institution from the impending civil lawsuit1,7,10,15. The decision to remove the remaining titles was reportedly made in consultation with King Charles III and Prince William, the Prince of Wales, who is said to have wanted his father to take a firmer line with his younger brother6,15.

The Shadow of Jeffrey Epstein and the Civil Suit

The current crisis is the latest chapter in a long-running saga that began with Prince Andrew’s close friendship with the American financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein6,9,13. The friendship came under intense scrutiny following Epstein’s second arrest in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking, and his subsequent death by suicide in a New York jail cell8,9. Virginia Giuffre, who was one of Epstein’s victims, alleged that she was forced to have sexual encounters with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions in the early 2000s, including once in London at the home of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate, when Ms Giuffre was 17 years old1,3,4,5,8,12,14,18. Ms Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on 9 August 2021, under New York’s Child Victims Act8,12. The lawsuit alleged sexual assault and sought unspecified damages12. Prince Andrew’s legal team repeatedly denied the allegations, stating that their client “unequivocally denies Giuffre’s false allegations” and attempted to have the case dismissed8,12. His lawyers argued that a previously secret 2009 settlement between Ms Giuffre and Epstein, which included a $500,000 (£360,000) payment, should absolve Andrew and other ‘potential defendants’ from liability1,12. However, on 12 January 2022, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected the prince’s attempts to dismiss the case, allowing the sexual abuse lawsuit to proceed toward a trial8,12. The prospect of the prince giving sworn evidence in a trial, which would have been a profound humiliation for the royal family, led to an out-of-court settlement1,11. On 15 February 2022, lawyers for both parties filed a letter to the court announcing they had reached a “settlement in principle”1,8,11. The settlement was for an undisclosed sum, though international lawyers estimated the cost to Prince Andrew was likely to be more than $10 million (£7 million), not including his own legal fees1,10. The final court documents, a “Stipulation of Dismissal,” were filed on 7 March 2022, officially ending the civil action10,12. Crucially, the settlement included no admission of guilt from Prince Andrew, who has always maintained his innocence1,11,17. However, the joint statement filed to the court contained a significant concession: Prince Andrew acknowledged that Ms Giuffre had “suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks”1,11. He also pledged to make a “substantial donation” to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights and expressed regret for his association with Epstein1,8,10,11. Ms Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boies, stated that the settlement was a victory for his client, who had secured an acknowledgement of her suffering1,14. The settlement, which was paid in March 2022, was reported to be as much as £12 million, leading to public calls for the prince to confirm how he funded the payment10.

The Unravelling of a Public Life

The events of 2025 represent the culmination of a long and steady unravelling of Prince Andrew’s public life, which began in earnest with the 2019 *Newsnight* interview9,15,17. The interview, conducted by Emily Maitlis, was intended to clear the prince’s name and counter the media reports about his friendship with Epstein13,17. Instead, it was widely criticised for his lack of empathy for Epstein’s victims and his offering of explanations for his friendship that were deemed unbelievable by the public13,17. His claim that he could not have been at the London nightclub Tramp on the night Ms Giuffre alleged because he was at a Pizza Express in Woking for a party with his daughter, Princess Beatrice, became a subject of widespread ridicule17. Furthermore, his assertion that he could not sweat due to an ‘adrenaline condition’ following his service in the Falklands War was offered as a defence against Ms Giuffre’s claim that he was ‘sweating profusely’ while dancing17. The immediate aftermath of the broadcast saw a swift and decisive reaction from Buckingham Palace and the public9. On 20 November 2019, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Andrew would suspend all royal duties “for the foreseeable future,” and four days later, he was stripped of his role as patron of 230 charities9. The final, formal removal of his military affiliations and the use of his HRH style came in January 2022, just before the civil lawsuit was due to proceed1,7,10. The pressure on the prince did not abate, even after the settlement. King Charles III, who ascended the throne in 2022, has reportedly taken a firm line with his younger brother6,15. In 2024, the King reportedly stopped funding Prince Andrew’s private security costs and has been reported as attempting to move the prince and his ex-wife out of their Windsor residence, Royal Lodge15. The latest revelations, including the alleged email to Epstein in 2011 and the claims of pressuring a police officer, have ensured that the scandal will not soon evaporate, despite the prince’s removal from public life13,17. The call from Ms Giuffre’s family to strip him of his princely title demonstrates the continued public and political pressure for a complete and final separation of the monarchy from the controversy3,14,19. The Metropolitan Police’s decision to ‘actively look into’ the claims of misuse of a protection officer represents a significant escalation, moving the matter from the realm of royal scandal and civil litigation into a potential criminal inquiry concerning the conduct of a public servant and the prince’s alleged influence3,4,5,13,17,18.

Conclusion

The Metropolitan Police’s decision to investigate the claims that Prince Andrew sought to use a state-funded protection officer to gather personal, potentially damaging, information on Virginia Giuffre marks a new and serious phase in the long-running controversy3,4,5,13,17,18. The inquiry into the alleged misuse of public resources for a private smear campaign follows the prince’s recent relinquishing of his remaining royal titles, a move that was itself a direct consequence of newly emerged correspondence contradicting his account of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein2,4,5,6,7,13,17. Despite the 2022 out-of-court settlement of the civil lawsuit, which saw Prince Andrew make no admission of guilt but acknowledge Ms Giuffre’s suffering, the shadow of the Epstein scandal continues to define his public standing1,8,11,17. The ongoing scrutiny, amplified by the imminent publication of Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, ensures that the royal family’s efforts to contain the damage caused by the former Duke of York remain a central challenge to the monarchy’s reputation14,16,17,18,19. The focus has now shifted from the civil allegations to the potential criminal implications of his alleged conduct, raising fundamental questions about accountability for members of the royal family and the integrity of the state protection system3,4,5,13,17,18.

References

  1. Prince Andrew settles Virginia Giuffre sexual assault case in US

    Used to cite the date of the settlement (February 2022), the fact that the sum was undisclosed but estimated to be over $10m, the lack of admission of guilt, and the acknowledgement of Giuffre's suffering.

  2. Prince Andrew relinquishes royal titles including Duke of York after palace discussions

    Used to cite the date (October 17, 2025) and reason for Andrew relinquishing his remaining titles, including the Duke of York, and the emergence of emails contradicting his 2010 cut-off date with Epstein.

  3. Met Police probe claims Prince Andrew asked bodyguard to get him information on accuser

    Used to cite the Metropolitan Police's statement that they are 'actively looking into' the claims, the date of the report (October 19, 2025), the nature of the claim (asking a taxpayer-funded bodyguard for personal information on Giuffre), and the fact that Giuffre died by suicide earlier in the year.

  4. Police looking into claims Prince Andrew asked officer to find information on Virginia Giuffre

    Used to cite the specific details of the allegation: the 2011 timeline, the alleged passing of Giuffre's date of birth and US social security number to the Met bodyguard, the claim of a US criminal record, the source being an email to Ed Perkins, and the comment from Ed Miliband.

  5. Metropolitan Police examine claims regarding Prince Andrew's use of protection officer

    Used to cite the Met Police's 'actively looking into' statement, the 2011 date of the alleged communication, the mention of the social security number, the timing relative to the photograph publication, and the quote from Ed Miliband.

  6. Prince Andrew gives up Duke of York royal title, here's why: All about his scandals and controversies

    Used to cite the date of the title relinquishment (October 18, 2025), the titles given up (Duke of York, Order of the Garter), the retention of the 'Prince' title, and the fact that the Duke of York title was a gift on his wedding day.

  7. Prince Andrew gives up Duke of York title after pressure from King Charles

    Used to cite the date of the statement (October 17, 2025), the full quote from Andrew's statement about distraction and duty, the retention of the princely title, and the stripping of the HRH style and military affiliations in January 2022.

  8. Virginia Giuffre - Wikipedia

    Used to cite the date Giuffre filed the civil lawsuit (August 9, 2021), the rejection of Andrew's dismissal attempt (January 12, 2022), the settlement date (February 2022), and the acknowledgement of Giuffre's suffering as part of the settlement.

  9. A timeline of Prince Andrew's decades-long antics and scandals

    Used to cite the date Andrew suspended all royal duties (November 20, 2019), the stripping of 230 charities, and the date he claimed to have broken off contact with Epstein (December 2010).

  10. Prince Andrew pays financial settlement to accuser Virginia Giuffre, court documents show

    Used to cite the date the financial settlement was paid (March 2022), the filing of the 'Stipulation of Dismissal,' and the reported settlement amount of up to £12 million.

  11. Prince Andrew settles US civil sex assault case with Virginia Giuffre - BBC News - YouTube

    Used to cite the out-of-court nature of the settlement, the lack of admission of liability, the promise of a substantial donation to Giuffre's charity, and the acknowledgement of her suffering.

  12. Virginia Giuffre v. Prince Andrew - Wikipedia

    Used to cite the court where the lawsuit was filed (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York), the law used (New York's Child Victims Act), the date of the dismissal (March 2022), and the argument about the 2009 Epstein settlement.

  13. Police looking into whether Prince Andrew enlisted officer to dig up dirt on accuser Giuffre

    Used to cite the Met Police probe, the 2011 timeline, the purpose of the alleged request (to find out if she had a criminal record), the emergence of the Epstein emails as the catalyst for the title relinquishment, and the quote from Ed Miliband.

  14. Prince Andrew 'asked Met bodyguard to investigate' Virginia Giuffre

    Used to cite the specific details of the email to Ed Perkins, the passing of the social security number, the family's denial of a criminal record, the family's call for an investigation into how Andrew obtained the private information, and the call from Giuffre's brother to strip the 'Prince' title.

  15. Inside King Charles and Prince Andrew's relationship as royal loses titles

    Used to cite the involvement of King Charles and Prince William in the decision to remove the titles, and the King's reported actions in 2024 to stop funding Andrew's private security costs.

  16. Prince Andrew latest: Police to look into claims Andrew pressured bodyguard to dig dirt on Virginia Giuffre

    Used to cite the Met Police's 'actively looking into' statement, the date of the report (October 19, 2025), the timing relative to the posthumous memoir publication, and the lack of suggestion that the officer complied.

  17. Police looking into whether Prince Andrew enlisted officer to dig up dirt on accuser Giuffre

    Used to cite the Met Police probe, the 2011 timeline, the 'dig up dirt' phrasing, the details of the 2019 Newsnight interview (no sweat, Pizza Express), and the fact that Giuffre died by suicide in April.

  18. UK police 'looking into' claims Prince Andrew tried to smear accuser

    Used to cite the Met Police probe, the 2011 timeline, the passing of the date of birth and social security number, the source of the email (US congressional committee documents), and the fact that the officer is not said to have acted upon the request.

  19. Royal Family LIVE: Prince Andrew faces call to lose another title as emails leak

    Used to cite the call from Virginia Giuffre's brother, Sky Roberts, to strip the 'Prince' title, the 'dig up dirt' phrasing, the posthumous memoir's explosive claims about an orgy at 'Little Saint Jeff’s,' and Giuffre's death by suicide in April.