For more than a decade, Prince Andrew has been under the scanner over his association with Jeffrey Epstein, the late serial sex offender. The American billionaire has been dead for nearly six years, but the controversy refuses to die down.
Now, ahead of the release of "Nobody's Girl," the memoir of Virginia Giuffre, who accused the prince of sexually assaulting her as a teenager, has once again brought Andrew into the spotlight. Giuffre died by suicide in April this year at the age of 41.
The royal family hoped that Andrew's decision on October 17 to stop using his royal titles and honours would close the chapter. Instead, it has revived debate about accountability within the monarchy. Once celebrated as a decorated war hero, the Duke of York, brother to King Charles III, has been sidelined.
Andrew insists he never met Giuffre and has "always denied accusations of wrongdoing." Critics say that both the palace and the UK government have failed to act decisively.
Andrew has maintained that he met Epstein in 1999 through Ghislaine Maxwell and that their encounters were "probably no more than only once or twice a year." He also admitted staying at Epstein's properties, according to CNN, and attended a 2000 charity fundraiser at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate alongside Epstein and Maxwell, as shown in photographs published in the Palm Beach Post.
Epstein and Maxwell were later guests at a Windsor Castle celebration hosted by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2006 were invited to Princess Beatrice's 18th birthday party, reported The Sun on Sunday in 2019. Epstein's 2008 conviction and registration as a sex offender raised further doubts about Andrew's judgement as a working royal, a role he gave up in 2019.
In her memoir, Giuffre describes three alleged encounters with Andrew, in London, New York and on Epstein's Caribbean island. She claimed that Epstein paid her $15,000 "for servicing the man the tabloids called 'Randy Andy.'" CNN reported that she also repeated her 2015 declaration alleging an "orgy" involving "approximately eight other girls" who "appeared to be under the age of 18."
Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 without admitting guilt but acknowledged her suffering as a victim of sex trafficking. He has always denied witnessing any of Epstein's criminal behaviour, telling the BBC in 2019 that he cut ties with the financier in 2010.
Earlier reports in The Mail and The Sun cited a 2011 email in which Andrew told Epstein to "keep in close touch" and that they were "in this together." Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police is "actively looking into" claims that Andrew asked a police bodyguard to find compromising information on Giuffre, a royal source told CNN.
The scandal has also drawn attention to Andrew's business dealings, including ties to Chinese businessman Yang Tengbo, who was barred from the UK in 2024. A tribunal heard that Yang represented Andrew in meetings with potential Chinese investors.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently said he supported "proper scrutiny" of Crown properties amid calls for a parliamentary inquiry.
