The Duke of York was reported to police by anti-monarchist group Republic for allegedly using a “fake name” to register Prince Andrew’s business interests.
The name ‘Andrew Inverness’ was used on registration details with the Enterprise Office more than a decade ago. The name is a play on one of Prince Andrew’s lesser-known titles, Earl of Inverness.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that it had received a report on the submission to Corporations Chambers.
A Metropolitan Transport Authority spokesperson said: “We will now evaluate this report to determine whether further action is required. There is no investigation at this early stage.”
Republic Group chief executive Graham Smith said he had reported Prince Andrew to the police on suspicion of submitting false information to Companies House, but added there was no sign of fraud.
“The royal family seems to believe they can act with impunity,” Smith said.
“While the submission of clearly false information to the Enterprise Office may seem trivial, the UK faces a serious problem with this type of fraud.
“While no such fraud is alleged here, Andrew should certainly be held to the highest standards.
“Submitting false information is an offense under corporate law, so it is certainly in the public interest to pursue the matter when such a high-profile person is alleged to have committed such an act. There should be.
“We expect the police to pursue this matter without fear or favor, but when it comes to the royal family they seem to have a hard time.”
A Companies House spokeswoman said the company does not comment on individual companies or filings.
However, it is understood that the law in force when the company was registered was the Companies Act 1985, which includes a three-year time limit for legal challenges to information submitted to Companies House. It was stated that no lawsuits could be filed after this point.
The Republic describes Prince Andrew’s “real name” as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
However, when Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson in 1986, in addition to the title Duke of York, Queen Elizabeth II also gave him the titles Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh.
Royal families have long been known to use titles as surnames.
For example, during their time in the Royal Air Force, Prince Harry was known within the army as ‘Captain Harry Wales’, and Prince William was known as ‘Airman William Wales’.
Prince Andrew’s use of Andrew Inverness was also previously reported by the BBC and others, following the tradition of using Scottish titles when carrying out official duties in Scotland.
Prince Andrew’s office has been contacted for comment.
Republic Group’s claims follow the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew’s relationship with Chinese businessman Yang Tengbo, who was expelled from the UK over security concerns.
This has led to scrutiny of Prince Andrew’s finances, with Republic Group now challenging the use of ‘Andrew Inverness’ in registration details over the past 20 years.
At Naples Gold, an alleged “consultant” named “Andrew Inverness” was used in the registration details since 2003, after which the company was dissolved in 2021.
Another company, Ullamour Limited, had the name of ‘His Royal Highness Andrew Inverness’ as a ‘person with significant control’ in its details since 2006. The company’s application for strike and dissolution was filed last week.
