'Inappropriate Behaviour': Police Probe Explosive Royal Ascot Waitress Claims Against Ex-Prince Andrew

A police investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's conduct has widened to include a fresh allegation from a former Royal Ascot waitress dating back to 2002, Thames Valley Police has confirmed. Officers are examining the claim as part of a broader inquiry into the 66-year-old's time in public office.

The development follows Andrew's arrest in February at Sandringham, where he was detained on suspicion of misconduct in public office and later released under investigation. Detectives are reviewing his decade as a government trade envoy from 2001 to 2011, alongside a widening range of potential offences, some linked to his long association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Royal Ascot Allegation

The latest claim centres on Royal Ascot during the Queen's Golden Jubilee year in 2002, when the then Prince Andrew was photographed at the Berkshire racing festival with his brothers, now King Charles and Prince Edward. According to the Daily Star, the woman was working as a waitress at the event and has accused Andrew of inappropriate behaviour.

Thames Valley Police has declined to outline the alleged misconduct or say when the complaint was first received. A force spokeswoman said only: 'We cannot go into specifics of our ongoing investigation, but we are following all reasonable lines of inquiry.'

The wording matters because the force has already indicated that its inquiry is not limited to misconduct in public office. It is also examining possible sexual offences and corruption, with officers saying new testimony or documents could be folded into the existing case or pursued separately.

For now, the waitress's allegation has not been tested in court or independently verified in public, and no charge has been brought. It remains an unproven claim under police review, and should be treated with caution until formal findings are made.

Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing, both in relation to Epstein and the current misconduct inquiry. Despite years of damaging coverage and the loss of his royal patronages, that position has not changed.

Epstein And Trade Role

The Royal Ascot episode is part of a wider pattern of scrutiny that has followed Andrew for more than two decades. In 2000, he hosted Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in the Royal Enclosure on Ladies' Day at Ascot, placing them among guests at one of the most tightly controlled events on the royal calendar.

More recently, files released by US justice authorities have reportedly alleged that Andrew shared confidential government reports with Epstein while serving as the UK's special representative for international trade and investment.

British detectives are understood to be examining those documents as part of the same misconduct in public office inquiry.

The force has said the investigation covers Andrew's time as trade envoy from 2001 to 2011, a period during which he travelled widely on behalf of the government and enjoyed unusual diplomatic access. Police are therefore looking not only at who he knew, but at what he did while holding office.

Buckingham Palace has said it cannot comment while the police inquiry is ongoing. King Charles has previously offered to fully co-operate with the investigation into his younger brother, while Andrew was approached for comment on the latest allegation but did not respond, according to the original report.

York Family Pressure

The pressure has also spread to the wider York family. Royal biographer Andrew Lownie has alleged that Sarah Ferguson is seeking what he calls a 'nice pension' from the Royal Family in an effort to avoid a potentially damaging television interview.

Lownie has also claimed that King Charles and Prince William pushed for a financial audit of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's finances, which the sisters are said to have resisted. His updated book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, places those claims alongside the police inquiry and presents the Yorks as a family under financial and reputational strain.

None of those financial or media strategy claims has been publicly corroborated by the Palace or by the people involved. As with the Royal Ascot allegation, the picture remains incomplete, shaped by police caution on one side and biographical claims on the other.

IBTimes UK has reached out to ex-prince Andrew's reps for comments.