The police watchdog has contacted the Metropolitan Police over claims that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, asked an officer to dig up information on his sex abuse accuser.
According to a leaked 2011 email, the former prince allegedly asked his taxpayer-funded police bodyguard to investigate Virginia Giuffre, providing her date of birth and social security number. Andrew has not commented on the allegation.
The Met confirmed last month that it was “actively looking into” the claim.
In a statement, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had contacted the Met but that the force had not referred itself to the watchdog.
A spokesman for the IOPC said: “We have had contact with the Met, which confirmed that no referral has been made and as a result we have no involvement with these matters.”
The Met added that it was still assessing the allegation that Andrew gave Giuffre’s confidential details to his bodyguard.
A spokesman said: “Following recent media reporting on the actions of officers in relation to this matter, we are considering whether any further assessment or review is necessary.”
Meanwhile, Andrew has been warned that US investigators examining the Jeffrey Epstein case will “find all the information that’s out there” if he refuses to testify before Congress.
Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, a member of the US House Oversight Committee, said officials “will not let this go” and urged Andrew to appear before the committee, calling it a “great way” for him “to clear his name.”
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Subramanyam said: “I would like for him to come to our committee and tell us everything he knows about Jeffrey Epstein and the crimes that were committed.
“I think that this would be a great way for Andrew to clear his name, it would be a great way for us to continue our pursuit of justice for the victims, and frankly, Andrew’s name has come up many times from the victims... so he clearly has knowledge of what happened, and we just want him to come forward and tell us what he knows.”
The committee is investigating how Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019, evaded justice for so long.
In September, it released Epstein’s infamous “birthday book” — a 238-page album compiled by his former partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking.
When asked what more evidence could emerge, Mr Subramanyam said: “This is what I would tell Andrew and anyone else: even if you don’t come forward with information, we are going to find all the information that’s out there possible. We are not going to let this go.”
Andrew’s association with Epstein has long overshadowed the Royal Family. He has repeatedly denied Giuffre’s claims that he sexually abused her after she was trafficked by Epstein.
Last week, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the King had stripped his younger brother of his remaining titles, including the right to use “Prince Andrew”, and had ordered him to vacate Royal Lodge, his home of more than two decades.
It has since emerged that Andrew will not move to his new residence on the King’s Sandringham estate until the new year, meaning he will not join the Royal Family for Christmas.
The former Duke of York is expected to receive compensation for relinquishing his lease on the 30-room Windsor property — potentially as much as £550,000 — as well as a private annual stipend from the King. Sources told The Guardian this could amount to several times his £20,000 Royal Navy pension.
Concerns that the Queen’s work with sexual abuse survivors could be compromised were reportedly part of discussions leading to Andrew’s removal from royal duties.
The King’s biographer, Jonathan Dimbleby,said that His Majesty would feel “enormous relief” that the matter was finally being resolved, allowing him to “move on” and focus on his role as monarch.
The King’s fears that further revelations about Andrew’s ties to Epstein might emerge appeared well-founded after new court documents released in New York included an email from Andrew to Epstein in which he wrote it would be “good to catch up in person” following Epstein’s release from prison for prostituting minors.
Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne, and only an Act of Parliament could remove him from the royal succession.
Sir Keir Starmer has resisted calls to change the law, with Downing Street saying there were “no plans” to do so.
While it is considered highly unlikely that Andrew could ever become king, it is not legally impossible. The royals ahead of him in the line of succession are the Prince of Wales and his three children, followed by Prince Harry and his two children, who live in the United States.
