Key facts
- Pizza Express investigated Prince Andrew's claim of visiting its Woking branch in 2001.
- The chain found no evidence to confirm or deny the visit.
- Prince Andrew made the claim in a 2019 Newsnight interview.
Pizza Express conducted an internal inquiry into Prince Andrew's claim of visiting its Woking branch in 2001, finding no evidence to confirm or deny his presence. The Metropolitan Police also declined to confirm or deny information about royal protection officers accompanying him.
The inquiry into Prince Andrew's alibi is significant as it relates to serious allegations of sexual abuse and his public denial of wrongdoing.
Pizza Express conducted an internal inquiry into Prince Andrew's claim that he visited its Woking branch on March 10, 2001, the same day he was alleged to have slept with Virginia Giuffre. The chain found no evidence to support or refute the former prince's alibi, which he detailed in a 2019 BBC Newsnight interview. Newsnight's research also found no record of anyone seeing Prince Andrew at the Woking branch on the night in question. The manager of the branch in 2001 had since left the business, and records from that period could not be found by Pizza Express. In response to a freedom of information request, the Metropolitan Police stated they could "neither confirm nor deny" whether they held information about royal protection officers accompanying Prince Andrew to the Woking branch, citing national security. Prince Andrew has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. He was stripped of his royal titles and honours by King Charles last year and has faced significant pressure following his association with Jeffrey Epstein.
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