The Royal Family believe the allegations against Prince Andrew “should be examined in the proper and fullest ways”, according to a Buckingham Palace source.
After Prince Andrew announced on Friday that he was relinquishing the use of his titles and honours, a palace source has told Sky News that it was felt that action was needed because of “what lies at the heart of this, the broader allegations and the issues highlighted”.
They added that despite Prince Andrew denying all the claims against him, the “new allegations that have been brought up” are of “very serious and grave concern” and “should be examined in the proper and fullest ways”.
It comes after reports emerged over the weekend that claimed Prince Andrew asked a royal close protection officer to “dig up dirt” on Virginia Giuffre in 2011, the woman who accused the prince of sexual abuse.
Her posthumous autobiography has been released this week despite her death by suicide in April.
As a result of these new allegations, the Metropolitan Police said it is “actively looking into the claims”.
Speaking to police sources, Sky News has been told it is possible the protection officer who was allegedly asked by Andrew to find information may still work within the police force, especially as those within royal protection tend to stay within the team for some time.
Sky News also understands the officer would have been expected to escalate this request from Andrew to his superiors, so other senior individuals may have known about it.
It was also pointed out that while Andrew’s alleged attempts to smear Virginia Giuffre would have been morally wrong, he also would have been asking his police officer to put his career on the line.
Any attempt to use police databases to find information on an innocent individual not connected to a crime would have been a sackable offence and unlawful.
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The decision for Prince Andrew to stop using his royal titles came as a shock on Friday evening.
But royal sources say the decision for Andrew to release the personal statement, and take responsibility for it, was deemed to be the “swiftest” way to bring about “the deserved and necessary outcome”.
It was believed that the constant stream of stories about Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre were proving too much of a distraction from the wider work of the Royal Family, and the commitment of the likes of the Queen and the Duchess of Edinburgh to support survivors of sexual violence.
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It is likely Prince William and the Queen will have been instrumental in making sure the institution was seen to act.
The palace source said “they are not ones for self-pity” and “this is not the Royal Family looking inward”, adding it is “upsetting not in terms of themselves but it is distracting from some significant visits this week and communities that need support and to be celebrated”.
However, there are now calls for more action to formally strip Prince Andrew of his honours and titles.
Read more:
Prince Andrew’s disgrace and downfall is not over yet
‘Victory for Virginia’, says family of Andrew’s accuser
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At the moment they are extant, meaning not formally removed but just no longer used.
It would take an act of parliament to remove his Duke of York title and other peerages, but it is possible that the King could take away his honours, such as Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, or his membership of the Order of the Garter.
Royal Knights of the Order of the Garter have a banner flag and a small enamelled brass plate on display within the Quire at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle – it is understood the decision on whether Andrew’s should be removed is still to be confirmed.
