Pizza Express bosses ordered an internal investigation into whether Prince Andrew visited one of their restaurants in Woking, Surrey, following his alibi during a 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, according to new reports. Senior management sought to verify the then-Duke of York's claim that he took daughter Princess Beatrice to the branch on March 10, 2001 – the day he is alleged to have slept with accuser Virginia Giuffre. The inquiry included interviews with former employees, but the manager had left the business, preventing the chain from speaking to him. Ultimately, Pizza Express found no evidence to conclude that he had or had not attended the restaurant.
Alibi Details and Allegations
In the interview with Emily Maitlis, Andrew stated: "On that particular day that we now understand is the date which is the 10th of March, I was at home, I was with the children and I’d taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at I suppose sort of four or five in the afternoon. And then because the duchess was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other one is there. I was on terminal leave at the time from the Royal Navy so, therefore, I was at home."
Giuffre, who died last year, alleged that she and Andrew socialised at Tramp nightclub in Mayfair, London that day, when she was 17, before returning to Ghislaine Maxwell’s Belgravia home, where a sexual encounter took place. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
Police Investigation and FOI Request
BBC Newsnight submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Metropolitan Police, asking if any royal protection officers accompanied Andrew to the Woking branch 25 years ago. The force responded that it could "neither confirm nor deny" whether it held such information, citing "national security" as one reason. Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on February 19, his 66th birthday, and interviewed under caution before being released under investigation. Searches were also carried out at his former homes in Windsor and Norfolk. Detectives are understood to be working through evidence recovered during the operation and have made a formal request to the US Department of Justice for the original versions of the Epstein files, but have not yet received any information.
The Mirror has contacted Pizza Express for comment.
