Detectives are examining an allegation that Prince Andrew behaved inappropriately at Royal Ascot during the Queen's Golden Jubilee week in June 2002. Thames Valley Police said it has widened an existing inquiry into the duke and has appealed for witnesses and alleged victims to come forward via non-urgent channels, including the force's online portal. Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said officers are working through a substantial volume of material. Commentators have flagged the reported wedding of Peter Phillips on 6 June as an immediate moment when the family will have to manage the fall-out.

Andrew has denied wrongdoing, yet detectives have expanded the probe beyond material that has been publicly discussed. Thames Valley Police said it's widening an existing inquiry to examine sexual misconduct claims as part of a broader probe into potential misconduct in public office. The alleged Ascot incident is said to date from the week of the Queen's Golden Jubilee in June 2002, with some accounts specifying the window from 18 to 22 June.

What police are investigating

Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright set out the practical steps detectives are taking. He told reporters officers are working through a substantial volume of material and are pursuing all reasonable lines of inquiry, adding that the offence of misconduct in public office can take different forms. Thames Valley Police have appealed publicly for witnesses and alleged victims to contact them via non-urgent reporting channels, including the force's online portal.

The force has already taken several investigative steps that broaden the scope beyond earlier questions about Andrew's role as a trade envoy. Thames Valley Police made a formal request to the United States Department of Justice for original versions of material relating to Jeffrey Epstein. Investigators have also been given access to Metropolitan Police files concerning allegations by Virginia Giuffre. Detectives contacted the lawyer Brad Edwards about a claim that a woman was allegedly sent by Epstein to Royal Lodge for sex with Andrew in 2010 and was then given a tour of Buckingham Palace; that allegation is said to be under assessment by Thames Valley officers.

The inquiry's recent timeline includes a previous arrest in February this year. Thames Valley Police arrested Andrew on suspicion of misconduct in public office on 19 February, interviewed him under caution and then released him under investigation. Searches were carried out at properties associated with him while detectives reviewed material recovered during that operation. It's not clear whether the Ascot allegation was reported at the time in 2002 or raised more recently, and police statements have emphasised that their work is investigatory rather than a finding of criminality.

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Family and public fallout

The publicity around the inquiry has prompted renewed scrutiny of archival images and public appearances. One photograph from 2002 that shows the duke alongside his then teenage daughter Princess Beatrice at a Guards Polo Club outing after a day at Ascot has been re-examined given the new allegation. That re-examination is part of a wider public reaction that has rippled through royal circles and the commentariat alike.

Royal commentator Tom Sykes, writing for The Royalist, said Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were "mortified all over again" by the latest developments and suggested the sisters may opt not to attend the private wedding of their cousin Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling. The wedding has been reported as planned for 6 June in Cirencester. By contrast, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror she believed the princesses have a good relationship with their cousin and that the wider family is determined to include them, arguing that any alleged actions by their parents shouldn't be visited on the daughters.

There is a practical quality to the questions now being asked. Family events, often private and carefully staged, are also public signalling moments. How the family accommodates the feelings of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and how it chooses to acknowledge or avoid the presence of their father at such gatherings, will be watched closely by those who follow the monarchy's internal dynamics.

Police have repeatedly urged anyone with information to come forward. Thames Valley Police underlined that the misconduct in public office inquiry may cover sexual and financial misconduct, and that detectives will follow evidence where it leads. The force specifically invited alleged victims and other witnesses connected to Epstein to contact them through the normal non-urgent contact channels.

The Duke has consistently denied wrongdoing in relation to historic allegations connected to Epstein. That denial remains his public position as investigators develop lines of inquiry drawn from material both at home and overseas, and as they assess witness testimony and archival material. For plain procedural reasons, police statements have been careful to distinguish investigation from conclusion.

For the public, and for people inside royal circles, the immediate consequence is uncertainty. Arrangements already on the calendar may prompt awkward questions and private conversations, and they may force decisions about attendance and the optics of family solidarity. The issue is no longer only a legal one; it's a reputational and interpersonal one too.

Anyone who believes they have information that could assist the inquiry is being asked to contact Thames Valley Police via the non-urgent online portal or other non-urgent reporting channels identified by the force.

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The next scheduled milestone is the reported wedding of Peter Phillips on 6 June in Cirencester; commentators have flagged it as a likely public test of how the family manages the Andrew-related fall-out. Originally reported by mirror.co.uk.

This article was created with AI assistance.