The woman at the centre of fresh allegations against Prince Andrew concerning inappropriate behaviour at the 2002 Royal Ascot has been identified as a waitress who was working at the prestigious event, new details have revealed.
The former royal has faced long-standing scrutiny over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as allegations of misconduct in public office. He was arrested on his 66th birthday in February this year.
Thames Valley Police announced last week that they are expanding their investigation into Prince Andrew over reports of an incident that occurred at Royal Ascot in 2002.
The father of two has been accused of inappropriate behaviour towards a woman who has since been identified as a waitress working during Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee year.
Sources told The Sunday Times that the incident was not reported to racecourse management at the time, and it has not been confirmed when authorities were first made aware of the investigation.
The incident reportedly occurred during the Royal Ascot event, which took place between June 18 and June 22, 2002. Prince Andrew attended for two of the four days.
Asked about the alleged incident, a Thames Valley Police spokeswoman told the outlet: "We cannot go into specifics of our ongoing investigation, but we are following all reasonable lines of inquiry."
Images recently emerged of the former prince sharing a light-hearted moment with a young Princess Beatrice during the 2002 event, which has sparked fresh unease among royal watchers.
Prince Andrew was a prominent fixture throughout the event and was photographed alongside several members of the Royal Family, including King Charles III, Prince Edward and visiting European royals, including the Queens of Denmark and Sweden.
Andrew has faced large-scale sexual misconduct allegations over the years, including from prominent Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was forced into sexual encounters with the prince when she was 17 years old by her trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein.
The father of two has since faced a series of allegations surrounding his relationship with Epstein, and his name was referenced in the Epstein files. He has been publicly frozen out in the years following the allegations, with his royal titles and long-time residence revoked.
King Charles III announced he would strip his younger brother of any remaining royal titles in late 2025, before formal notice was given to him to surrender the lease of his Windsor mansion, where he had resided for more than 20 years.
While it was initially reported that Thames Valley Police would focus only on Andrew's actions as a trade envoy, they have since revealed that their inquiry is considering other allegations.
Andrew has firmly denied all allegations and has not been formally charged in relation to this or other recent claims following his arrest in February.
