Full Breakdown
Pizza Express Inquiry into Prince Andrew’s 2001 Alibi
7/7/2026, 1:50:08 AM
The Alibi Claim and Pizza Express Inquiry
Former Duke of York Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has asserted that on 10 March 2001 he took his daughter Princess Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking, using the outing as an alibi for accusations that he had sex with Virginia Giuffre that evening. In 2019 senior Pizza Express executives launched an internal review, searching archival records, contacting former staff and attempting to interview the branch manager, who had since left. The review reported no evidence confirming his presence, nor evidence disproving it.
Background: 2019 Interview and Epstein Allegations
The alibi first appeared in a 2019 BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, where Mountbatten-Windsor denied Giuffre’s claim that, after a night at Tramp nightclub, he had sex with her at Ghislaine Maxwell’s Belgravia house. Giuffre, then 17, alleged three forced encounters with the former prince, one said to have occurred on 10 March 2001. The interview sparked extensive media scrutiny and prompted the Pizza Express review.
Timeline of Key Dates
10 March 2001 – Giuffre alleges sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor in London.
2019 – Mountbatten-Windsor gives alibi in BBC Newsnight interview.
2019 – Pizza Express initiates internal inquiry.
19 February 2026 – Thames Valley Police arrest Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
2026 – BBC revisits the alibi and reports on the Pizza Express review.
Official Statements & Responses
The Metropolitan Police told the BBC it could not confirm or deny whether protection officers accompanied Mountbatten-Windsor in 2001, invoking national-security exemptions. Thames Valley Police announced the 19 February 2026 arrest as part of a misconduct-in-public-office probe. Pizza Express declined comment on its internal review. The BBC noted its FOI request to the Met was refused.
Criticism & Opposition
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey criticised the Met’s use of national-security exemptions to withhold protection-detail information, calling the practice illegitimate. Observers also noted the missing 2001 branch manager limited the Pizza Express inquiry.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The internal review found no documentary record of Mountbatten-Windsor’s presence and no eyewitnesses. The 2001 branch manager was unavailable, and the Met refused to confirm any protection detail, leaving the alibi unverified.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Because going to Pizza Express in Woking is an unusual thing for me to do, a very unusual thing for me to do.” — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, 2019 BBC Newsnight interview
- “' But I have no recollection of ever meeting or being in the company or the presence.” — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, interview with The Mirror, 2026
- “The Met told the BBC: “Confirming or denying that information is held would reveal whether protection had been afforded to a specific individual other than the king and the prime minister.” — Metropolitan Police, response to BBC FOI request
- “neither confirm nor deny” — Metropolitan Police, response to BBC FOI request
What’s Next
Thames Valley Police continue to investigate the misconduct allegations, while the Metropolitan Police’s refusal to disclose protection-detail information remains under public scrutiny. Additional FOI requests may be lodged to seek clarification of the 2001 alibi.
