Prince Andrew Sought Personal Information Of Virginia Giuffre Amid Royal Fallout: Reports

Last Updated:October 19, 2025, 14:55 IST

Prince Andrew announced that he would give up using his title of Duke of York after pressure on Buckingham Palace over a sexual abuse allegation from Virginia Giuffre.

Prince Andrew was accused of sexually abusing Virginia Giuffre (R) as a teenager. (Associated Press)

Britain’s Prince Andrew, who recently announced he would give up using his title of Duke of York after pressure from his brother King Charles III, sought personal information about Virginia Giuffre, an American woman who had alleged she had been forced to have sex with Prince Andrew at the age of 16.

Prince Andrew’s close relations with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the sexual abuse allegations by Giuffre, a victim of Epstein’s trafficking network who died by suicide in April 2025, have tainted his reputation as King Charles III faces growing calls to strip him of all Royal titles, although he remains a prince by birth.

According to the Mail on Sunday, Andrew reportedly asked his police protection to investigate Giuffre before the newspaper published a photo of her meeting with the prince in February 2011, BBC reported. The paper alleged that he gave the officer her date of birth and confidential Social Security number.

The Sunday Telegraph also claimed that Andrew “sought to dig up dirt" on Giuffre. The Metropolitan Police said on Sunday it was “actively looking into the claims". Prince Andrew has not commented on the reports, but has consistently denied all allegations.

Buckingham Palace Ups The Pressure

On Friday, Andrew said he was giving up the use of all his remaining royal titles and honours, including Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, and Knight of the Garter. The decision came just before the release of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, where she said that Andrew saw sex with her as a “birthright".

Amid calls for Buckingham Palace to take action against him, the Sunday Times reported that Prince of Wales, William, was unsatisfied with his uncle’s decision to relinquish his titles and was planning to take a more ruthless approach, including banning him from attending his future coronation.

Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts told BBC that his sister would have been “very proud" of Andrew’s decision and said that he would like the King to go a step further and “take out the prince in the Andrew".

“I think anybody that was implicated… should have some sort of responsibility and accountability for these survivors," he said. “All the years of work that she put in is now coming to some sort of justice, and these monsters can’t escape from it – the truth will find its way out."

What Is The Case About?

Prince Andrew has faced a series of scandals over recent years, including a court case he settled with Giuffre, who first alleged in 2015 that she had been forced to have sex with Prince Andrew. Years later, in August 2021, Giuffre formally filed a civil lawsuit in the United States accusing Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her on multiple occasions when she was under 18, including in Epstein’s island and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s house in London.

In a BBC interview in 2019, Andrew attempted to refute the claims. “I have no recollection of ever meeting Ms Giuffre," he said. Giuffre claimed she had agreed to a one-year gag order, as described in her memoir. In February 2022, a settlement was reached. According to a letter filed with the US district court, Andrew agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to Giuffre.

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...

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