Prince Andrew probed over ‘Inappropriate’ ascot waitress incident

A fresh allegation from more than two decades ago has thrust Prince Andrew back into the spotlight, with Thames Valley Police now examining claims of inappropriate behavior toward a waitress at Royal Ascot in 2002.

The investigation forms part of a wider inquiry into the disgraced royal’s conduct during his tenure as a UK trade envoy.

The 2002 Allegation Resurfaces

According to The Sunday Times and Metro, detectives are assessing an incident said to have occurred at the prestigious Berkshire race meeting in June 2002 — the same summer Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Golden Jubilee. Andrew, then 42, attended at least two days of the five-day festival alongside senior royals including King Charles, then Prince of Wales, and Prince Edward.

The woman at the center of the claim was working as a waitress at Royal Ascot, which hires hundreds of temporary catering staff each year to serve champagne lunches and hospitality suites. It is unclear when the allegation was first reported, and it is not believed that staff notified racecourse management at the time.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “We cannot go into specifics of our ongoing investigation, but we are following all reasonable lines of inquiry”.

Part of a Broader Misconduct Inquiry

The Ascot claim has emerged amid a larger police investigation into Andrew over the offense of misconduct in public office (MiPO), tied to his decade as a government trade envoy from 2001. In February 2026, Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday at his home on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. He was held in custody for 11 hours before being released under investigation. Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The MiPO probe intensified after emails released in US court documents in January 2026 suggested Andrew may have passed potentially confidential trade reports on Vietnam, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Singapore to Jeffrey Epstein following an official Asia visit in 2010.

Official guidance requires trade envoys to maintain confidentiality over sensitive commercial or political information.

A Pattern of Controversy at Ascot

Royal Ascot has figured in Andrew’s scandals before. In 2000, he hosted convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in the royal enclosure on Ladies’ Day. Andrew last attended the event in summer 2019, months before his disastrous Newsnight interview about Epstein, after which he stepped back from public duties.

Images from the 2002 festival recently resurfaced showing Andrew sharing a light-hearted moment with a young Princess Beatrice, sparking fresh unease among royal watchers as the new allegation circulates.

What’s on the horizon?

Police have not confirmed when they were first made aware of the waitress allegation, and no charges have been filed. The claim dates to a period when Andrew was a working royal and UK trade representative, meaning any breach could fall under misconduct in public office laws.

For now, the investigation continues to cast a long shadow over the Duke of York, whose association with Epstein and subsequent legal battles have already seen him stripped of military titles and royal patronages.

As Thames Valley Police stress they are “following all reasonable lines of inquiry,” the 2002 Royal Ascot incident may prove to be another critical chapter in Andrew’s ongoing fall from grace.