Fact check: Have any criminal charges been filed against Prince Andrew in the United Kingdom or the United States?

1. Why there are no criminal charges yet — the US civil settlement that closed one route to prosecution

Prince Andrew’s most significant legal milestone was a US civil sex-assault settlement reached in 2022 with Virginia Giuffre; that settlement resolved the civil claim without an admission of liability, and no criminal charges followed in the United States at the time ^[1]. The 2022 settlement removed the immediate prospect of a US civil trial that could have re-exposed alleged facts in public court, but a civil settlement is not the same as a criminal prosecution, and its existence does not automatically translate into criminal charges or convictions. Media reports reiterate that despite the civil resolution and ongoing public scrutiny, no US criminal indictment has been publicly filed against Andrew, leaving the matter legally unresolved in criminal terms while the reputational, institutional and administrative consequences continued to unfold ^{[5] [1]}.

2. Republic’s private prosecution plan — an unprecedented pathway being pursued now

In late October 2025, Republic announced that it had instructed a law firm to investigate allegations against Andrew and to consider bringing a private prosecution — an unusual and rarely used mechanism in UK criminal justice by which a private party seeks to initiate criminal proceedings when prosecutors decline to act. The group’s public statements accused police and authorities of failing to pursue sufficient investigations, and described the move as a necessary step because they believe the state response has been “weak and inadequate” ^{[2] [3]}. This development converts public campaigning into a potential legal action; whether the private process progresses to formal charges will depend on the investigating lawyers, evidential thresholds and any decisions by courts or the Crown Prosecution Service to intervene.

3. How UK institutions have reacted — stripping titles versus criminal liability

Separately from any legal action, King Charles III and royal household officials have taken administrative steps to remove Andrew’s remaining royal titles and to change his formal style, actions reported in October 2025 as responses to his association with Jeffrey Epstein and to public pressure. Those measures are administrative and reputational sanctions, not criminal convictions, and commentators emphasize that title removal does not equate to criminal guilt or replace the role of police and prosecutors ^{[4] [5]}. Republic’s move for a private prosecution explicitly cited perceived police inaction; official law-enforcement statements and any formal prosecutorial decisions remain the determinative factors for criminal charges in the UK, and as yet those authorities have not filed charges ^{[3] [2]}.

4. The public debate and competing narratives — responsibility, activism and institutional accountability

The reporting around October 2025 frames the situation as a clash between campaigning groups demanding accountability and public institutions that have so far stopped short of bringing criminal charges. Republic’s leaders present the private prosecution as a corrective to a justice system they view as failing victims, asserting political and moral urgency in pursuing the case ^[3]. Critics or observers who emphasize due process note that administrative measures like title removal reflect institutional distancing rather than prosecutorial determinations. This divergence underscores competing narratives: one stressing systemic failure and the need for private legal initiative, the other emphasizing that allegations require evidential substantiation and formal prosecutorial action before they can become criminal charges ^{[2] [3]}.

5. What to watch next — filings, prosecutorial responses and legal timetables

The immediate developments to monitor are whether Republic’s instructed law firm files a formal private prosecution document in UK courts, how the Crown Prosecution Service and police respond to any such filing, and whether any new evidence or procedural steps prompt criminal charges in the UK or reopen criminal inquiries elsewhere. As of 30 October 2025, no criminal charges have been filed in either the UK or the US, and the situation hinges on prospective legal filings and prosecutorial decisions; public reporting from October 2025 highlights the administrative title removals and Republic’s stated intent, but does not record an actual indictment or charge to date ^{[2] [5] [6] [4]}.