London’s Metropolitan Police said on 13 December it will take no further action after a fresh assessment found no additional evidence of criminal acts or misconduct regarding claims that Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor asked a Met protection officer in 2011 to check Virginia Giuffre. The force added it would assess any new and relevant information that emerges.
The allegation resurfaced in October via reporting on leaked emails said to show the then‑prince passing Ms Giuffre’s date of birth and US Social Security number to a Royal Protection officer and telling a palace aide he believed she had a criminal record, which her family has disputed. There is no suggestion the officer acted on the request.
Saturday’s decision follows a history of reviews. The Met first assessed allegations in 2015 and chose not to proceed to a full criminal investigation in 2016, concluding other international authorities were better placed; that position was reviewed again in 2019, 2021 and 2022 with no change.
In policing terms, a “no further action” outcome reflects an evidential position rather than an exoneration. Under the Crown Prosecution Service framework, police may close a case where the evidential stage of the Full Code Test is not met and there are no further reasonable lines of inquiry likely to strengthen it; prosecutors only pursue cases with a realistic prospect of conviction.
The Met also highlighted cross‑border dimensions. Much of the activity described in related allegations occurred outside the UK, meaning any future evidence from US authorities would move through mutual legal assistance channels coordinated by the UK Central Authority under the Crime (International Co‑operation) Act 2003 and the UK‑US Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
Ms Giuffre’s family said they were deeply disappointed by the Metropolitan Police decision and questioned why it was taken without speaking to them, noting imminent US disclosures. Their statement follows her death by suicide in April at age 41.
Those disclosures are mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act (H.R. 4405), signed into US law on 19 November 2025, which requires the Department of Justice to release unclassified Epstein‑related records within 30 days; senators and representatives have pressed for full compliance by 19 December. The Met has said it will review any relevant material released in the US.
Separately, congressional Democrats on 12 December published a tranche of images from Epstein’s estate as a preview of wider files, including one cropped photograph in which Andrew appears alongside Bill Gates. Outlets stressed that appearance in such images is not, in itself, evidence of wrongdoing.
Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor has consistently denied Ms Giuffre’s allegations. In a 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, he said he did not remember meeting her and that there was never any sexual contact; in 2022 he settled a US civil case brought by Ms Giuffre without admitting liability. He has not commented on the latest reporting.
Royal repercussions have continued this year. By Letters Patent dated 3 November and published by the Crown Office in The Gazette, the King removed Andrew’s style of “Royal Highness” and the titular dignity of “Prince”, with a separate warrant removing him from the roll of the peerage as Duke of York.
On accommodation, Buckingham Palace has required Andrew to give up Royal Lodge in Windsor. Documents and reporting indicate notice to surrender the lease was served on 30 October 2025, creating a 12‑month window; while he can legally remain until October 2026, he is expected to relocate to a smaller property on the Sandringham estate once ready in early 2026.
For practitioners, the position is therefore clear: as of 13 December 2025 the Met’s assessment does not meet the evidential threshold to open a criminal investigation, but the force has committed to reassessing any new and relevant information, including records released under US law. Any pathway to proceedings in England and Wales would still need to satisfy the CPS evidential stage before public‑interest considerations are reached.