Separate research failed to identify any witnesses who recalled seeing Andrew at the Surrey restaurant that evening
Pizza Express launched an internal investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's assertion that he dined at its Woking branch on March 10, 2001, it has been revealed.
The restaurant chain's senior management initiated the probe in 2019, deeming the matter to be of public interest following the former prince's widely discussed BBC Newsnight television interview.
Investigators searched for documentation from that period and attempted to reach former employees and local managers. The branch manager from 2001 had departed the company and was unavailable for questioning, according to the programme.
The inquiry ultimately proved inconclusive, with Pizza Express unable to locate any evidence supporting Mr Mountbatten Windsor's account, nor anything contradicting it.
Separate research conducted by Newsnight similarly failed to identify any witnesses who recalled seeing him at the Surrey restaurant that evening.
Virginia Giuffre alleged that Mr Mountbatten Windsor forced her to have sex with him on three occasions, including once when she was 17 years old.
Mr Mountbatten Windsor rejected this during his 2019 Newsnight appearance, claiming he had accompanied Princess Beatrice to a children's party at the Woking Pizza Express around "4pm or 5pm in the afternoon" before remaining at home that night.
In previously unbroadcast footage from the interview, he explained: "This has all been worked out by my staff, who've looked at the diary and everything else."
He added that Sarah Ferguson was abroad at the time, and the couple maintained an arrangement whereby one parent would always be present with their children.
In 2022, Ms Giuffre and Mr Mountbatten-Windsor reached an out-of-court settlement, with no admission of liability from the former prince.
Newsnight submitted a freedom of information request to the Metropolitan Police, seeking confirmation of whether royal protection officers had accompanied Mr Mountbatten Windsor to the Woking restaurant 25 years ago.
The force declined to provide a definitive answer, stating it could "neither confirm nor deny" possession of such records.
National security was cited among the justifications, with the Met explaining that acknowledging whether information existed would disclose "whether protection had been afforded to a specific individual other than the King and the prime minister."
This stance appears at odds with Scotland Yard's own February press statement, which made direct reference to Mr Mountbatten Windsor's close protection officers.
The former prince was arrested that month by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office and subsequently released under investigation.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has criticised the Metropolitan Police's response, questioning whether genuine security concerns justified the refusal.
"Too often we see these types of 'neither confirm nor deny' answers where there really isn't a legitimate security reason – and I think that's what's happening here," he told the BBC.
Sir Ed called for the force to make an exception, adding: "I really can't see how revealing that Andrew had police protection 25 years ago would play into the hands of terrorists as the Met claims."
Mr Mountbatten Windsor lost his military titles and royal patronages following a decision by the late Queen in 2022, and was stripped of his princely title last year.
He departed Royal Lodge amid mounting pressure over his connections to convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Mountbatten Windsor has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing. GB News has contacted Mr Mountbatten-Windsor for comment.
