Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, is reportedly under fresh police scrutiny over an alleged incident at Royal Ascot in 2002, as investigators examine wider claims that could include sexual misconduct, corruption and fraud. According to reports, Thames Valley police are reviewing events from that year while considering possible additional offenses linked to the former royal. The alleged encounter is said to have taken place during the annual racing festival, which was attended by several members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth, then-Prince Charles, Prince Edward and Andrew’s eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice.
It remains unclear whether the allegation was reported to police at the time or raised more recently. The new inquiry comes as Andrew continues to face intense public and legal scrutiny over his association with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. Earlier this year, Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office for allegedly passing classified information to Epstein.
Andrew’s standing in the royal family has already been severely diminished. Last year, King Charles stripped him of his royal titles amid continuing fallout from the Epstein scandal, and Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, were removed from their long-time residence at Royal Lodge. He is now officially known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The former royal has long been accused of improper behavior toward women and girls. He was previously accused by Virginia Giuffre of raping her when she was a minor, after she said she was trafficked by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew denied the allegations, but later made a multimillion-dollar settlement to Giuffre. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025.
Author Andrew Lownie, whose book “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York” examines the York family’s history, said in an interview that allegations of Andrew’s inappropriate conduct stretch back decades. Lownie claimed Andrew used crude, sexually explicit chat-up lines and described a pattern of behavior marked by entitlement and a willingness to humiliate women.
The reported police review marks another damaging chapter for the former prince, whose reputation and public role have been steadily eroded by years of scandal. With authorities now said to be examining events from 2002, the renewed attention could further deepen the legal and personal crisis surrounding one of the British monarchy’s most controversial figures.
