Prince Andrew has been reported to the police by an anti-monarchy marketing campaign group after allegations of sexual assault had been made in opposition to him in unsealed court docket paperwork.
The Duke of York, who has at all times denied any wrongdoing, was reported to the Metropolitan Police by Republic after he was talked about a number of instances in information referring to disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The unredacted paperwork, which had been launched on Wednesday in the US, included allegations Andrew had an orgy with underage ladies and touched a girl’s breast whereas posing with a puppet of himself.
It’s a recent setback for the late Queen’s second son who, simply 10 days in the past, was pictured with the royal household on Christmas Day.
The 63-year-old prince, who has beforehand strenuously denied the allegations, paid hundreds of thousands a yr in the past to settle a civil case out of court docket with Virginia Giuffre with no act of contrition after she accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.
However he’s talked about greater than 70 instances in almost 1,000 pages of interviews and transcripts launched within the US in reference to a 2015 defamation case introduced by Virginia Giuffre in opposition to Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed for intercourse trafficking younger ladies for Epstein.
The names of greater than 170 individuals who had been both associates, pals or victims of Epstein are being made public following a decide’s order final month, together with high-profile figures comparable to former US president Invoice Clinton.
The Duke of York has been reported to the police by the marketing campaign group Republic after allegations of sexual assault resurfaced in unsealed court docket paperwork.
Graham Smith, chief government of the anti-monarchy group Republic, mentioned on Thursday that he had reported Andrew to the police, accusing the Met of failing to conduct a severe prison investigation into the case.
The power mentioned in August 2022 that it was taking no additional motion over allegations made in opposition to Epstein and that any future probes into human trafficking by the intercourse offender had been targeted on actions exterior the UK.
It additionally beforehand mentioned it stood by its 2015 resolution to not examine claims by Ms Giuffre that she was intercourse trafficked to London by Epstein.
Mr Smith mentioned: ‘To this point, there seems to have been no severe prison investigation, no interview of the accused or different witnesses, and no clear justification for taking no motion.
‘I’m calling on the Met Police to reopen this case, I’m calling on MPs to debate this affair in Parliament, and I’m calling on Charles to make a public assertion, in entrance of the press and taking questions, to reply to these allegations and what they are saying in regards to the monarchy.
‘How can we not anticipate a response from the Authorities and head of state? On the time of the alleged offences, Andrew was a authorities commerce ambassador and an energetic member of the royal household.
‘They fudged and obfuscated for 11 years earlier than taking any definitive motion.’
Mr Smith added: ‘The query many individuals shall be asking is straightforward: if the accused had been anybody else, can we imagine they would not have been investigated and prosecuted?’
In the meantime, US legal professional Spencer Kuvin, who has represented a few of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, mentioned folks related to the rich financier comparable to Andrew, deserve the next degree of scrutiny.
Mr Kuvin advised the Mirror: ‘Andrew nonetheless refuses to totally account for his time with Epstein and has failed to talk with US investigators about what he is aware of.
‘British police must do their responsibility and reopen their investigation into his conduct.’
He added that Epstein might be ‘one of many worst sexual predators of the century’.