A former chief prosecutor has urged the Metropolitan Police to reopen an investigation into allegations that the Duke of York sexually abused Virginia Giuffre, amid claims of "two-tier justice". Nazir Afzal called on the force to re-examine the case against Andrew, who was stripped of his prince title by King Charles on Thursday.
Scotland Yard previously investigated claims relating to Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein three times and chose not to take action. However, the force has said it is "actively looking" into allegations that the royal used his taxpayer-funded bodyguard to attempt to discredit Ms Giuffre.
Mr Afzal, former chief prosecutor for North West England, said public confidence had been shaken. "People do feel that there is some two-tier justice here; that if you are powerful, you don't get the same level of attention as you would do if you were, say, homeless," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
On the bodyguard claim, Mr Afzal argued that there was no justification for such a request and that it could constitute misconduct in public office. "We need public clarity. We need to ensure that nobody has special or privileged status," he said, adding that if misuse of police assets had occurred, there needed to be accountability.
Separately, members of a US congressional committee investigating the Epstein case have called for Andrew to testify. Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi said he would be prepared to subpoena Andrew, while fellow congressman Suhas Subramanyam said Andrew should come forward if he wanted to clear his name. Spencer Kuvin, a lawyer for Epstein victims, also urged Andrew to give evidence, saying his testimony could help other victims and reveal potential co-conspirators.
