In a significant development, the UK anti-monarchy group, Republic, announced on Thursday that it had complained with the London police against Prince Andrew. The move comes in the wake of the release of US court documents revealing individuals associated with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Republic, advocating for an elected British head of state, confirmed the complaint in a statement, marking a renewed effort to address allegations against Prince Andrew. The documents unveiled in a New York court implicate Andrew, formally known as the Duke of York, in accusations of groping a woman—a claim vehemently denied by the royal figure.
Prince Andrew withdrew from frontline royal duties in late 2019, following a public outcry triggered by a BBC television interview where he defended his association with Epstein. The 63-year-old former Royal Navy helicopter pilot settled a US civil case in February 2022, brought by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged sexual assault when she was 17.
Despite consistently denying the allegations, Andrew faced consequences as his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, stripped him of honour military titles and patronages, effectively distancing him from royal life.
The Metropolitan Police had closed its review into Giuffre’s claims in the US civil action in October 2021, opting for “no further action.” However, Republic chief executive Graham Smith aims to reopen the case, urging MPs to debate the matter in parliament and calling for a public response from Andrew’s elder brother, King Charles III.
