Police investigate allegation Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor 'behaved inappropriately' at Royal Ascot

By RYAN HOOPER, CRIME CORRESPONDENT Published: 16:18, 24 May 2026 | Updated: 16:20, 24 May 2026 Police are looking into claims Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor behaved inappropriately towards a woman at Royal Ascot nearly 25 years ago. The alleged incident is reported to have taken place at the historic racecourse in Berkshire between June 18 and 22 2002, during Queen Elizabeth's golden jubilee year. The monarch attended the event alongside her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as other royals, including Andrew, the then-Duke of York. Thames Valley Police have already announced that a misconduct in public office probe into Andrew has been broadened to consider a wide range of possible offences, including sexual misconduct and corruption. This follows the release of files in the US concerning paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Police have seized material in a raid of Andrew's former home at Royal Lodge, Windsor, and his new property on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, which officers are now said to be 'carefully working through', it is understood. He was arrested on his 66th birthday in February and released under investigation. The King's brother has not addressed the allegations, but has always denied any wrongdoing in his dealings with Epstein or knowledge of his sex crimes. The Duke of York, as he was then known, attending Royal Ascot in 2002 The royal, pictured with his brother, the Prince of Wales, at the Berkshire racecourse Meanwhile the former Business Secretary, Sir Vince Cable, has already confirmed he has been asked by police to give a witness statement regarding the broader allegations against Andrew   It is not known whether the alleged Ascot incident was reported to police at the time or more recently, according to the Sunday Times. A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: 'We cannot go into specifics of the investigation, but we are following all reasonable lines of enquiry.' Previously, Sir Vince Cable, who was Business Secretary in the coalition government when Andrew stepped down as trade envoy in 2011, confirmed he had been contacted by police to give a witness statement. He said: 'I've been notified that I will be interviewed and I'm very happy to co-operate.' The former prince served as the UK's special representative for international trade and investment for a decade from 2001, but stepped down amid controversy over his friendship with Epstein. Detectives have also made a formal request to the United States Department of Justice for the original versions of the Epstein files, but have not yet received any information. Alongside the allegations from the files, they are assessing separate claims that Epstein sent a woman to the UK for sex with Andrew in 2010, mirroring accusations made by the late Virginia Giuffre, who said she was trafficked to have sex with the former duke. Andrew has denied Ms Giuffre's claims or even having met her.   Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said the force had assembled a dedicated team of its 'most experienced specialist investigators', which include detectives experienced in investigating serious sexual attacks and financial experts. He confirmed they had spoken to a number of witnesses, but said he hopes others will come forward to shed light on Andrew's relationship with the paedophile. He warned that the inquiry could take months before detectives are ready to submit a file of evidence to the CPS to consider. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.