Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not be riding in the carriages with his family during Royal Ascot next month, and now police have confirmed that they’re looking into an allegation that he “behaved inappropriately” at the famed horse race nearly 25 years ago.
Per the Sunday Times, the alleged incident happened with a woman at Ascot during Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. The former Duke of York was pictured attending the races on multiple days that June alongside the late Queen, King Charles, Prince Edward, and other senior royals.
“We cannot go into specifics of the investigation, but we are following all reasonable lines of enquiry,” a spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police said.
On Friday, May 22, Thames Valley Police announced that they were broadening their investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February. This includes possible sex offenses, and police asked the public to come forward with any information on Friday.
Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright at Thames Valley Police at Thames Valley Police noted that there could be people with information who are too fearful of coming forward. “There is a risk that the victim survivors may be put off from contacting us because they feel the weight of public, national and international focus will be too much for them,” he said.
“Whenever a victim-survivor is ready to engage with us, we’re ready for you, at whatever point that may be,” Wright added.
It’s unknown if the Royal Ascot incident was reported at the time or if the woman came forward recently. However, when it comes to the broader investigation, the Sunday Times reported that “investigators are now working their way through a list of key witnesses, including former cabinet ministers, royal officials and senior civil servants.”
