UK's Prince Andrew asked police to help smear sexual abuse accuser, newspaper says

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's Prince Andrew asked police in 2011 to dig up personal information about Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accused him of sexually abusing her as a teenager, a British newspaper reported on Sunday, days after the royal gave up his Duke of York title.

London's Metropolitan Police said it was "actively looking" into the allegations in the Mail on Sunday report. Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles, said on Friday he would no longer use his title following years of criticism about his behaviour and connections to the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

He said the accusations - which he has repeatedly denied - were a distraction from the work of the king and the royals.

Sunday's report, however, suggests the move has failed to contain the scandal.

Andrew, 65, stepped down from a roving UK trade ambassador role in 2011, before quitting all royal duties in 2019 and then was stripped of his military links and royal patronages in 2022 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

That year, he settled a lawsuit brought by Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, which accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. Andrew has always denied her account, which has returned to prominence with the release of her memoir.

The report in the Mail on Sunday said Andrew had asked one of his personal protection officers to dig up information about his accuser, citing an email sent by Andrew to Queen Elizabeth's deputy press secretary at the time.

Andrew said he had given police her date of birth and social security number, adding that he believed she had a criminal record in the United States, according to the email quoted by the Mail on Sunday.

Giuffre's family told the newspaper she did not have a criminal record.

There is no suggestion the officer complied, the Mail on Sunday said.

"We are aware of media reporting and are actively looking into the claims made," a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said.

British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told the BBC the new allegations were "deeply concerning".

(Reporting by Paul Sandle;Editing by Helen Popper)