Police probe claims Andrew asked cop to help dig dirt on teen sex accuser

POLICE are examining claims that Prince Andrew tried to dig up dirt on his teenage sex accuser Virginia Giuffre.

- BY RUSSELL MYERS and JEREMY ARMSTRONG

The prince is alleged to have asked a palace officer to look into Ms Giuffre in 2011, just before an infamous picture emerged of the two of them.

Andrew denies any wrongdoing but gave up his royal titles last week after failing to reassure the King that there would be no more damaging stories about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

A source said: "The scandal has engulfed the family for too long, forcing the King to banish him."

In the latest developments, it is claimed that in 2011, before the infamous image of him with Ms Giuffre first appeared, he allegedly asked a royal protection officer to check up on Ms Giuffre using her date of birth and social security number.

He told Ed Perkins, Queen Elizabeth's deputy press secretary, that he had asked one of the Met's elite SO14 Royalty Protection Group to dig for information about Ms Giuffre.

"It would also seem she has a criminal record in the [United] States," Andrew emailed to Perkins.

There is no suggestion that the officer named in the email agreed to the prince's request.

The family of Ms Giuffre, who took her own life in April aged 41, say she did not have a criminal record and want to know how Andrew came about her confidential private information.