Keir Starmer has backed a police probe after sexual assault claims linked to Prince Andrew resurfaced in newly launched paperwork.
Anti-monarchy group Republic submitted a criticism to the Metropolitan Police after the allegations resurfaced. New court docket paperwork linked the prince to late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and referred to sexual assault claims. Andrew has at all times strongly denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Asked if the police ought to examine, the Labour chief informed LBC: “We have to start with the victims here and look at what allegations have been made… Where there are credible allegations made then of course they should be looked at.”
The Metropolitan Police since stated it has not launched an investigation. In a brief assertion, the power stated: “We are aware of the release of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein. As with any matter, should new and relevant information be brought to our attention we will assess it. No investigation has been launched.”
In 2021, Scotland Yard introduced it was taking no motion after a evaluate prompted by Virginia Giuffre, who had filed a separate US civil lawsuit in opposition to the Prince claiming he sexually assaulted her, which he denied.
Sexual assault allegations in opposition to Andrew, 63, which have resurfaced in newly launched court docket paperwork, have led to requires the prince to be grilled once more. In the primary batch of some 1,000 pages launched, the duke was, in allegations aired beforehand, accused of getting an orgy with underage ladies, and touching a girl’s breast whereas posing with a puppet of himself.
The beforehand unseen tranche of authorized papers regarding Epstein and linked to a 2015 defamation case introduced by Virginia Giuffre in opposition to Ghislaine Maxwell was launched within the US earlier this week.
The paperwork additionally revealed Buckingham Palace’s defence of the Duke of York was utilized in court docket by disgraced British socialite Maxwell’s lawyer. The royal family issued a press release in 2015 during which the Palace “emphatically denied” Andrew had any type of sexual contact or relationship with Ms Giuffre, branding the allegations “false and without foundation”.
The resurfacing of the claims in opposition to Andrew has strengthened the King’s willpower there’s “no way back” to public royal life for his brother, the Mirror reported final night time. Andrew walked to church with the remainder of the royal household at Sandringham simply over per week and a half in the past on Christmas Day, along with his look considered as a part of a gradual rehabilitation throughout the monarchy, coming seven months after he was permitted to attend the King’s coronation in his grand Garter robes.
Andrew stop as a working royal in 2019 over his friendship with convicted intercourse offender Epstein and within the wake of his disastrous look on Panorama. He was later stripped by his mom Queen Elizabeth II of his honorary navy roles, and gave up his HRH model. The duke paid hundreds of thousands to Ms Giuffre to settle a civil sexual assault case out of court docket with no act of contrition.