Pizza Express held an inquiry into Andrew's Woking claim

Pizza Express conducted an internal inquiry in 2019 into whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor visited its Woking restaurant on 10 March 2001, as he claimed in his BBC Newsnight interview. According to bbc newd reporting, the chain found no evidence he was there—or that he was not—with no records or witnesses confirming his visit.

Key Takeaways

• Pizza Express senior management investigated the Woking claim in 2019, deeming it a matter of public interest.
• The chain could not locate records from 2001 and was unable to speak with the branch manager from that period.
• BBC Newsnight found no customer or staff evidence placing him at the restaurant on the night in question.
• Scotland Yard declined to confirm or deny whether royal protection officers accompanied him, citing national security.
• Mountbatten-Windsor has strenuously denied wrongdoing and did not respond to a request for comment.

Why did Pizza Express investigate Andrew's Woking claim?

In his infamous 2019 Newsnight interview, Mountbatten-Windsor said he had taken his daughter Princess Beatrice to a party at a Pizza Express in Woking at "4pm or 5pm in the afternoon" on 10 March 2001. He said he then spent the night at home.

That date matters because Virginia Giuffre, one of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's victims, alleged she was forced to have sex with him that day after dining and dancing with him in London. Mountbatten-Windsor has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

His Pizza Express mention made headlines worldwide, with some newspapers labelling it an alibi. Newsnight has now been told that in 2019, Pizza Express senior management looked into the plausibility of the claim because they believed it was a matter of public interest.

What did the internal inquiry actually find?

Bosses held an internal inquiry that involved searching for records from that time period—none of which could be found—and trying to talk to past members of staff and local management. The manager of the Woking branch in 2001 had since left the business so could not be spoken to, it is understood.

Following its internal inquiry, the chain concluded it had found no evidence to suggest Mountbatten-Windsor had visited and was telling the truth—and also nothing to suggest he was not. BBC News reported that Newsnight has made extensive inquiries but found no record of any customer or staff member having seen him at the restaurant.

In unaired interview material, Mountbatten-Windsor said his staff had looked at a diary to verify the visit. "This has all been worked out by my staff, who've looked at the diary and everything else," he said, adding that going to Pizza Express in Woking was "an unusual thing for me to do."

Can police records verify the Pizza Express visit?

One route Newsnight tried was submitting a freedom of information request to the Metropolitan Police, asking if any royal protection officers accompanied the former prince to the Woking branch 25 years ago.

In response, the force said it could "neither confirm nor deny" whether it holds this information, citing "national security" among other reasons. 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, the Met said.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey criticised the response, saying he could not see how revealing that Andrew had police protection 25 years ago would play into the hands of terrorists. He called for an exception to be made by the force to reveal the information.

Why does the Woking alibi matter now?

Newsnight has revisited the 2019 interview in light of the Epstein files and Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office by Thames Valley Police. He was subsequently released under investigation.

Mountbatten-Windsor's military titles and royal patronages were removed by the late Queen in 2022. He was stripped of his "prince" title last year and left his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge, amid pressure on the Royal Family over his links to paedophile financier Epstein.

As high-profile investigations continue to reshape public understanding of powerful figures, stories like this sit alongside broader coverage in our Future Tech & AI Wonders section—where scrutiny of institutions and accountability tools increasingly shapes the news cycle.