The Real Reason Scotland Yard Abandoned Its Investigation Of Prince Andrew

Once widely considered Queen Elizabeth II's favorite, Prince Andrew's fall from grace has been staggering, per Elle. In 2019, Andrew's friendship with Jeffery Epstein came into question when Virginia Giuffre publicly claimed that Andrew had sexually abused her on multiple occasions in the Virgin Islands, the US, and London when she was a teenager, during a Dateline interview. Giuffre alleged that she was trafficked to London in 2001 and subsequently forced to have sex with Andrew. She also provided a photo of herself, Ghislaine Maxwell, and the prince as evidence.

Andrew has vehemently denied those allegations. In 2019 he claimed that he had no specific memory of meeting Giuffre and, on the night in question, was dining at Pizza Express (a UK chain restaurant) miles away in Woking, Surrey, per the Daily Mail. Despite Andrew's insistence on his innocence, public opinion has finally turned on the prince. What's more, so has his family. Ever since the allegations became public, those close to Andrew have publicly distanced themselves, with his siblings reportedly agreeing that he should never be involved with royal life again, per NBC.

After much speculation that he may, in fact, be arrested as part of Scotland Yard's investigation into Giuffre's claims, the case against the prince was suddenly dropped earlier this week. But why?

To the surprise of many, Scotland Yard announced that it has dropped its investigation into the validity of Virginia Giuffre's claims against Prince Andrew. Giuffre's suit alleged that she was "compelled by express or implied threats by Epstein, Maxwell and/or Prince Andrew to engage in sexual acts with Prince Andrew, and feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew," per the Daily Mail. If the allegations were so serious, why did Scotland Yard abandon the case?

The real reason Scotland Yard is no longer looking into the allegations against Prince Andrew is because they are leaving it up to US authorities. Speaking publicly about the situation, a representative for the organization explained that, "As a matter of procedure, MPS officers reviewed a document released in August 2021 as part of a US civil action. This review has concluded and we are taking no further action."

So, while Andrew may not be held accountable for any wrongdoing in the UK, he is still facing a charge of rape in the first degree in the US. Even though Andrew's legal troubles in the UK may be over, his connection to Epstein has left the royal family in a state of chaos. After they announced the conclusion of its investigation, Twitter was flooded with the hashtag #abolishthemonarchy, with some users alleging that Andrew got off easy because of his privilege, per NBC.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).