Police 'actively looking into' claims Prince Andrew 'used taxpayer-funded bodyguard to smear Virginia Giuffre'
The King’s disgraced brother gave up his royal titles on Friday evening
The Metropolitan Police is "actively looking into" claims that Prince Andrew used a Met bodyguard and a top aide to Queen Elizabeth II in his campaign to smear his sex accuser Virginia Giuffre.
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Leaked emails show how the disgraced Duke asked his taxpayer-funded bodyguard to investigate Ms Giuffre, passing on her date of brith and social security number.
He revealed he had asked one of his personal protection officers – part of the Met's elite SO14 Royalty Protection Group - to do this in another email to Ed Perkins, Queen Elizabeth's deputy press secretary.
In a statement to LBC, the Met said: "We are aware of media reporting and are actively looking into the claims made."
Read more: Prince William 'to ban Prince Andrew from his coronation' in tougher royal stance
This astonishing email was sent before the infamous picture of Andrew and 17-year-old Ms Giuffre was published by the Daily Mail.
"It would also seem she has a criminal record in the [United] States,' he wrote.
"I have given her DoB [date of birth] and social security number for investigation with XXX, the on duty ppo [personal protection officer]."
It is not suggested that the officer complied, and Ms Giuffre's family last night said she did not have a criminal record.
Responding to the Mail's revelations, Ms Giuffre's family said: "These emails expose the lengths to which those implicated try to discredit and defame survivors. The truth will surface and there will be no shadows in which they can hide."
The King’s disgraced brother gave up his royal titles on Friday evening, hours after new evidence of Andrew’s dealings with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was shared by the US House Oversight Committee.
Andrew has refused to explain how he obtained Ms Giuffre's nine-digit US social security number, while the Met has faced calls to launch an investigation.
His actions were labelled as "utterly despicable and reprehensible" by prominent barrister Charlotte Proudman.
"This shows Prince Andrew using his connections, including the police who are paid for by the taxpayer, in an attempt to dig up dirt on a survivor of sex trafficking," she said.
"It is just despicable. It certainly seems like a breach of her right to privacy and to protect her data from being misused. This should be investigated."
The Met declined to comment.
It comes after it was claimed that Ms Giuffre was pressured to sign a gagging order by Prince Andrew to stop her from "ruining" the late Queen's platinum jubilee.
The Duke's abuse accuser made the claims in her memoir Nobody’s Girl - a book she wrote before her death aged 41 in April - which will be published on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in the book, Ms Giuffre alleges she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions, including when she was 17, after being trafficked by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke denies any wrongdoing and maintains he has never met Virginia.
However, it later emerged that he lied about when he cut his ties with the disgraced financier.
The Sun revealed Andrew told the sex offender “we are in this together” in an email on February 28, 2011.
Andrew told Epstein in the email: “I’m just as concerned for you!
"Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it.
"Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”Virginia Giuffre's family have called for the royal family to go further after Prince Andrew gave up his titles - declaring “these monsters can’t escape.”
It was signed "HRH Duke of York, KG" - the latter denoting his title as Knight of the Order of the Garter.
This came months after the pair were pictured together in Central Park, sparking uproar.
The email contradicted Andrew’s disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview, in which he claimed he broke off contact with Epstein three months earlier.
In a statement on Friday, Andrew said the "continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family."
He went on: "I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me."
He added that he "vigorously" denies the accusations made against him.
Ms Giuffre’s family say the news "vindicates" their sister as her family called for the Royals to go a step further and revoke Andrew’s title of prince.
Sky Roberts, Ms Giuffre’s brother, said her sister was a “truth teller from the beginning”.
He said: “We’ve shed a lot of happy and sad tears today. I think happy because in a lot of ways this vindicates Virginia.”
Mr Roberts added he would “welcome” contact with the UK Parliament or the King, offering to “present the evidence that we believe is available to continue her voice”.
“I think it’s so important for the world to know how much of a hero she was, but how much is still left that the stone is still left unturned to some degree,” he said.
“This is just one step of many.”
These comments come just four days ahead of the release of Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which threatens to add further fuel to a fire the Royal Family is already struggling to control.
Ms Giuffre said in her memoir that Andrew acted as if sex with her was his “birthright”.
LBC understands the decision was taken after close consultation between the King and Prince William.
His Majesty is said to be "glad" of the outcome.
Andrew will remain a prince, which he has been entitled to since birth.
He will also give up his knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and his Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
His ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, will also relinquish her title and will just be known as Sarah Ferguson. Their daughters will continue to have the title of princess.
In flight logs seen for the first time on Friday, Andrew is shown to have flown on paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein's private jet at least four times.
The evidence shows he flew from Luton to Edinburgh on September 1, 2006, alongside convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
The full statement released on Friday evening by Prince Andrew read: "In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.
He went on: "I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me."He added that he "vigorously" denies the accusations made against him