The Metropolitan Police commissioner has warned that "no one is above the law", in a reference to the allegations of sexual assault levelled against Prince Andrew.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an alleged victim of the sex trafficking ring operated by convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, on Monday filed a civil lawsuit against the beleaguered royal under New York's Child Victims Act.
The woman has accused the Duke of York of forcing her to have sex with him when she was under 18 on three occasions in London, New York, and on the late pedophile's private island.
Britain’s top police officer, Dame Cressida Dick, said a review into the Epstein case is currently under way, but no investigation is taking place.
"The position there is that we've had more than one allegation that is connected with Mr Epstein and we have reviewed those, assessed those.
Cressida Dick explained that ahead of any investigation being launched, the police force needed to determine “evidence of a crime”, decide if “this the right jurisdiction for this to be dealt with”.
"We have concluded that there is no investigation for us to open and we haven't," she said, adding that it was "the right decision", after taking advice from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which her team has been collaborating with.
Weighing in on the recent lawsuit against Prince Andrew, who in May 2020 permanently resigned from all public roles over his ties to Epstein, the Met Commissioner said:
"I'm aware that currently there is a lot more commentary in the media and the apparent civil court case going on in America and we will again review our position."
The head of Scotland Yard reiterated willingness to work with authorities from overseas, vowing to provide “every assistance within the law”, adding that due to the latest developments, she had requested her team to “have another look at the material."
‘He’s Going to be Held to Account’
Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies earlier said that legal action was taken after the royal had failed to respond to offers to settle the claims out of court.
The second son of Queen Elizabeth II has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. In a BBC Newsnight interview in 2019 he claimed he never had sex with Giuffre, saying, "I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened."
Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell. This photo was included in an affidavit in which Giuffre alleged that she was directed to have sex with Andrew
© Photo : Florida Southern District Court
Slapped with a civil lawsuit, however, the royal could be questioned under oath and possibly made to turn over texts, emails, and private letters pertinent to the case, David Boies was cited by Sky News as saying.
The lawyer warned that it would be “very ill-advised for Prince Andrew to ignore judicial process”.
"The court process now is going to compel him. If he were to try to ignore the court the way he's ignored us, there would be a default judgment entered against them," he said, adding, "And as a result, he's going to be held to account."