Prince Andrew facing police investigation over Giuffre smear claims

London: The Metropolitan Police is “actively looking” into claims that Prince Andrew gave his alleged teenage sex abuse victim’s private information to his protection officer.

The prince asked his taxpayer-funded police bodyguard to investigate Virginia Giuffre and passed him her date of birth and US social security number, a leaked email revealed.

He then told Buckingham Palace aide Ed Perkins, who at the time was Queen Elizabeth’s deputy press secretary, that he had asked one of his personal protection officers to dig up information about Giuffre.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We are aware of media reporting and are actively looking into the claims made.”

The prince could potentially face a criminal investigation in the US for sharing Giuffre’s social security number without her consent.

Buckingham Palace staff may also face questions over what they knew and what they did with that information.

Giuffre, who lived in Australia, took her own life in April.

British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said developments were “deeply concerning”.

Asked about the reports on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, he said: “These are deeply concerning allegations. I think people want to look at those allegations and what the substance is behind them.

“But if that is correct, that is absolutely not the way that close protection officers should be used.”

King Charles was seen being driven into Crathie Kirk church near Balmoral on Sunday, just hours after it was revealed police were investigating Andrew.

The revelations, first published by the Mail on Sunday, came just 24 hours after the King moved to act against Andrew amid fears that a newly unearthed email sent to the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein would open the floodgates to more scandal, the London Telegraph understands.

The prince was forced to give up his remaining royal titles, including Duke of York, after it emerged he had stayed in touch with the convicted paedophile longer than he previously admitted.

The email exposed a fundamental “fault line” in Andrew’s defence and proved a “tipping point” for the King, palace sources said.

The matter was then dealt with swiftly, with Andrew pressed to accept the latest sanction in a matter of hours. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, has also given up her title of Duchess of York.

To formally strip the prince of his titles, the palace would have had to enlist the help of parliament.

But sources said it did not want to waste parliamentary time with what had become a “family distraction”.

The matter could yet be taken out of their hands, however, if there is public clamour for MPs to act.

Miliband refused to say whether parliament would move to strip Andrew of his dukedom.

“We’ll be guided by the royal family,” he said. “The royal family have said they didn’t want to take up parliamentary time with this.

“It’s right that Prince Andrew has relinquished his titles. The royal family will have to make their own decisions about what other steps might be taken.”

He added: “My starting point is always with the victims. This has been and is a horrendous time for her family. Seeing all this, having this continue to be a public debate. In these matters, we have to start with a focus on the victims and take the victims seriously.

“Peter Mandelson has taken a leave of absence from the House of Lords and I think that’s the right thing to do. I think these disciplinary actions will be taken care of by the whips.”

Giuffre gave an interview to the Mail on Sunday in February 2011 in which she claimed to have been trafficked across the world and was forced to have sex with the then duke when she was 17.

When Andrew was first confronted with the allegation, he insisted he had never heard of her.

The claim was put to the palace ahead of publication and a small circle of close advisers arranged a conference call to discuss how to respond. The prince’s denial was so outright that the most serious allegations did not, at that stage, make it into print.

“What? Who?” he spluttered to an aide. “What was the name again? Never heard of her.”

Leaked emails now appear to show what happened next.

Andrew emailed Jeffrey Epstein to complain that the newspaper was “gratuitously trying it on”.

The next day, Perkins sent the prince the now infamous photograph of the prince with his arm draped around Giuffre’s waist, which the newspaper had agreed to share on the grounds it was shown only to Andrew.

In response, the prince emailed Perkins to say: “I’ve just had a short conversation with Ghislaine [Maxwell] and she says VR [Virginia Roberts – as she was known then] is a lying so-and-so, paraphrasing, but this is consistent with what JE [Jeffrey Epstein] says. If this comes to the crunch we must have a statement ready.”

Perkins replied: “Indeed Sir. All received. Awaiting their response now. Lawyers primed.”

The prince then told Perkins he believed Giuffre had a criminal record in America and that he had handed over her social security number and date of birth to one of his protection officers.

Less than three hours later Andrew is said to have forwarded his emails with Perkins to Epstein, with a note simply saying: “latest”.

The prince has consistently denied the allegations and eventually settled a civil claim with Giuffre out of court after coming under pressure from the palace to draw a line under the litigation, which threatened to overshadow the Queen’s 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Giuffre’s family has welcomed the news that Andrew has agreed to no longer use his titles but said that in order for “true justice” to be done, he should also give up the honorary prince title with which he was born.

Last night, the prince’s biographer, Andrew Lownie, warned there was more scandal to come.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “I think the palace is worried about new allegations that will emerge stateside, they know there is more damaging stuff to come.”

He said the King should have removed his brother’s titles entirely, rather than simply ordering him not to use them.

Lownie said the prince should be forced to co-operate with the authorities to finally expose the full extent of his dealings with Epstein.

He also claimed the King should have made the announcement himself, demonstrating that he had taken the lead rather than allowing the prince to suggest he had made the decision for the good of the country.

A source close to Andrew insisted that he remained “stoic” about the latest development, having already been asked to give up so much.

But the palace strategy of gradually stripping back his privileges in recent years was likened by one well-placed source to “slicing a salami”.

“It’s just optics,” they said. “It’s repetition of something which is already a demonstrably failed strategy.

“What they’ve done this week follows exactly the same pattern as has been happening since 2011; this tactical approach of asking Prince Andrew to salami slice his entire life until there is virtually nothing left. But it doesn’t solve the problem.

“He has never been given the chance to clear his name.”

Another source who knows both the prince and Sarah Ferguson well said they would have taken the latest sanction “very hard”.

“It’s about the loss of status, and the public humiliation and the impact on his family – both the immediate circle and the wider royal family,” they said.

“Day to day, his life gets smaller, the retreat continues.

“Sarah will feel it just as keenly.”

The Telegraph, London

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