Prince Andrew Being Investigated After Leaked Emails Reveal Attempts to Uncover Information About Accuser Virginia Giuffre

Giuffre, who died by suicide earlier this year, alleged that when she was 17 years old, she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions

Authorities are “actively” looking into allegations that Prince Andrew attempted to uncover information about Virginia Giuffre, who has accused the royal of sexual assault prior to her death.

Leaked email correspondence suggests that Andrew, 65, asked his police protection officer, a taxpayer-funded position, to uncover personal information about Giuffre over a decade ago and provided the officer with her social security number and date of birth in order to do so, according to the BBC, The Telegraph and The Guardian.

The leaked emails were sent just before a photo of Andrew and an underage Giuffre — who died by suicide in April at 41 — surfaced in 2011, per The Guardian. There is no suggestion the officer complied with the royal’s request, the outlet reported.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told PEOPLE, “We are aware of media reporting and are actively looking into the claims made.”

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband called the leaked emails “deeply concerning” while appearing on the BBC One political program Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Oct. 19. Miliband, 55, called for the claims to be investigated because it is “absolutely not the way that close protection officers should be used.”

The leaked emails surfaced shortly after Andrew discontinued the use of his royal titles and honors amid renewed interest in the royal’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. In a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Friday, Oct. 17, Andrew said he will no longer use his title or honors as it distracts from the work of King Charles and the royal family.

Reports previously revealed another newly surfaced email from 2011 that allegedly showed the royal telling Epstein that they “are in this together” one day after the infamous picture of Andrew with his arm around Giuffre was published. The email message from Andrew to Epstein also appeared to prove that the pair were in contact after the royal said that he had cut ties with him.

Before her death, Giuffre filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Andrew, alleging she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions when she was 17. She recounts each occasion in detail in her posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, out Oct. 21. Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

In 2022, Andrew and Guiffre reached an out-of-court settlement, which included a statement in which he expressed regret for his association with Epstein, but contained no admission of liability or apology, per the BBC.

“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights,” per a court document filed at the time. “Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”