Prince Andrew faces 'private prosecution' over allegations of sexual assault, corruption and abuse of office
Prince Andrew is facing a private prosecution in Britain after allegations of sexual assault, corruption and abuse of office in the context of the Virginia Giuffre scandal. The anti-monarchy group Republic says it has asked lawyers to investigate the prince and, if necessary, take legal action.
Prince Andrew. PHOTO: Getty Images
According to the organization, the allegations include alleged sexual assault on Virgina Giuffre, pressure on a royal protection officer to investigate her and abuse in the exercise of his official position as Britain's trade envoy, reports the Daily Mail.
Virginia Giuffre, who died in April 2025, claimed in published post-mortem memoirs that Andrew believed he had the right to have sex with her, and detailed several occasions when he allegedly had sex with her, including at the home of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Duke denied ever having met Virginia Giuffre. In 2022, he reached a settlement in the civil suit filed by her in the US for the sum of 12 million pounds, receiving, according to sources, money from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to cover the costs.
Republic believes that the legal and political response to these allegations has been “weak and inadequate” and argues that a thorough investigation is needed: “There must be accountability for those who abuse public positions and justice must be seen to be done.”
A private prosecution, which does not involve the state prosecutor, can be initiated by organizations or private individuals. The authorities can, however, take over or stop such a process if they consider it to be abusive.
Since retiring from public life in 2019 and giving up honorary titles in 2022, Andrew has been virtually removed from royal activities. Recently, he also gave up the title of Duke of York, keeping only the title of prince, after discussions with King Charles.
A poll by Savanta shows that Andrew's popularity among Britons has fallen dramatically, with 91% giving a negative rating, while support for the monarchy has fallen below 50%, and 77% believe the prince should be criminally investigated.
In the wake of the scandal, anti-monarchy activists protested at the Royal Lodge, demanding “the end of royal secrecy” and o “full investigation into the Epstein and Andrew case”.
