Could Prince Andrew return to royal duties as new bombshell claims question the validity of claims against him?

Prince Andrew could be looking at returning to life as a working royal, new reports suggest. Allegedly, as doubts are cast on the validity of the photo of Andrew with Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accused Andrew of sexual assault, Andrew is looking to overturn the settlement he made. While the conditions of his out of court settlement ensured there was never an admission of guilt – and the Duke of York has maintained his innocence throughout – the settlement left him in disgrace, and the late Queen stripped him of his titles.

• Prince Andrew could be attempting a return to life as a working royal, as unnamed sources suggest he could look to overturn the settlement in his sexual assault case
• While always pleading innocence and making no admission of guilt in his settlement, newer questions on the legitimacy of some evidence against him (including the photo of him with his accuser) has reportedly encouraged Andrew to consider his options
• In other royal news, before there was King Charles and Prince Harry, this royal parent and child had a famously difficult relationship

In a surprising update, Prince Andrew could reportedly be eyeing a return to royal life.

The news comes after a growing movement challenging some of the evidence used against him. Ghislaine Maxwell, the disgraced British socialite who was convicted of sex trafficking and grooming for billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has cast doubt on the picture showing the Duke of York with his arm around his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, and her in the background.

Speaking from prison in the US, Ghislaine said she is “sure” the picture, said to be taken inside her Mayfair home, is not real.

In an interview with TalkTV, she said, “It’s a fake. I don’t believe it’s real for a second, in fact I’m sure it’s not.”

According to reports in The Sun and Mail on Sunday, Andrew is now considering what legal options he has to overturn the settlement, potentially paving the way for his return to royal duties.

After being stripped of his His Royal Highness title, as well as his patronages in 2022 by the late Queen Elizabeth, this could be his only way back into the fold. He was said to be inspired to act after Virginia Giuffre dropped her lawsuit against another man she accused of sexual assault.

“He never wanted to settle and has always insisted he was innocent. He wants to see what legal routes might be available to him,” the source told the Mail on Sunday.

"This is not about the money. He wants a route back to some sort of normality after a deeply trying period. I can tell you with confidence that Andrew’s team is now considering legal options.”

Andrew has always strenuously denied the claims, adding he had ‘no recollection’ of ever meeting the victim. In his Newsnight interview in 2019, Andrew questioned the authenticity of a photo showing him with his arm around his accuser at Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London.

The case was settled out of court with a payment settlement in 2022.

The decision to do so was to spare him the humiliation of giving evidence in a trial in the United States, and save the royals from further reputational damage.

As part of the settlement, he made no admission of guilt over the claims.

The unnamed source talking to The Mail on Sunday added that King Charles is said to have no objections to Andrew pursuing action to clear his name.