Pizza Express conducted an internal investigation to examine Prince Andrew's claim that he visited its Woking branch on the day he was accused of having sex with a teenager, the BBC has reported. The inquiry was launched because senior management believed it was in the public interest to test the alibi offered by the former Duke of York.
Internal Inquiry Details
According to sources who spoke to the BBC, the restaurant chain's senior management felt compelled to investigate the alibi. The broadcaster reported that the company found neither evidence confirming his presence at the Surrey restaurant nor evidence to definitively rule it out. BBC Newsnight stated its research uncovered no evidence of anyone seeing Prince Andrew at the restaurant on that day in 2001.
Background of Allegations
Virginia Giuffre, a victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, alleged that on 10 March 2001, when she was 17, she and Prince Andrew partied at Tramp nightclub in London before returning to Ghislaine Maxwell's Belgravia house, where she claims he had sex with her. Prince Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
In a 2019 Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew attempted to rebut the allegation by stating he had taken his daughter Beatrice to a birthday party at the Woking Pizza Express that afternoon. He said: "On that particular day … I was at home, I was with the children and I'd taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at I suppose sort of four or five in the afternoon. And then because the duchess was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other one is there."
Police Inquiries and Responses
The BBC also made inquiries to test Prince Andrew's claim, including a freedom of information request to the Metropolitan Police asking if royal protection officers had accompanied him. Scotland Yard refused to answer, stating it could "neither confirm nor deny" whether it held this information, citing national security. The Met told the BBC: "Confirming or denying that information is held would reveal whether protection had been afforded to a specific individual other than the King and the prime minister."
This response came despite the Met previously confirming it had provided Prince Andrew with protection. In February, the force released a statement saying it was "identifying and contacting" former and serving protection officers to ask if they had seen or heard anything related to criminal allegations against him.
Legal Developments
Prince Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on 19 February this year. The arrest appeared linked to his conduct as a UK trade envoy and followed the disclosure of emails related to Epstein. He was later released under investigation. The former prince has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Pizza Express has been contacted for comment.
