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The royal family is about to get a shakeup with London police revealing on Thursday that they plan to review their files on the sexual assault allegations made against Prince Andrew, although they will not be opening a formal investigation. While the case has already been looked at a number of times, the decision has been made to give it another glance due to the Prince’s connection with known sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, after one of his accusers, Virginia Giuffre, made the shocking move to sue Prince Andrew in the United States.
While it may seem that the royal family is above the law, British police have clarified that they plan to look into Andrew again to ensure that all bases have been covered if the allegations stand true. “As a result of what’s going on, I’ve asked my team to have another look at the material,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told LBC.
She continued, “We are, of course, open to working with authorities from overseas. We will give them every assistance if they ask us for anything, within the law, obviously.” Prince Andrew was accused by Giuffre of sexually assaulting her three times between 1999 and 2002 when she was underage. The Prince has denied the accusations on a number of occasions, with Giuffre suing the 61-year-old royal on Monday.
Giuffre claimed that Epstein was also involved in the incident, inciting Prince Andrew to have sex with the underaged woman. However, the 38-year-old, who has made it her mission to support other victims of sexual assault and sex trafficking, also alleged that she had sexual contact with Prince Andrew on a number of other occasions as well, in the U.S Virgin Islands, London, and New York.
In a statement acquired by PEOPLE, Giuffre said, “Today my attorney filed suit against Prince Andrew for sexual abuse under the Child Victims Act. As the suit lays out in detail, I was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him. I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one's life by speaking out and demanding justice.” The investigation will continue in the United States, with London now also reviewing their files on the case.
