An anti-monarchy campaign group has said it plans to speak to survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse ahead of a potential private prosecution against Andrew Windsor — the former Duke of York — who has been stripped of his royal title and Windsor home.

The group, Republic, said it wants to determine whether there are legal grounds to pursue the King’s brother for alleged sexual offences, corruption, and misconduct in public office. Lawyers instructed by the organization are expected to begin “actively investigating,” with the goal of “beginning proceedings in the coming weeks.”

The Metropolitan Police are already examining claims that Mr Windsor, 65, passed on sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre’s date of birth and social security number to a taxpayer-funded bodyguard in 2011, allegedly to obtain private information about her.

Police previously said they had reviewed sexual abuse allegations against both Andrew and the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, concluding that no further action would be taken. Mr Windsor has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing in relation to Ms Giuffre.

In a previous statement, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would be stripped of his royal title, declaring: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”

However, Republic has called for renewed investigations and launched a crowdfunding campaign to support what it described as an “unprecedented step.”

Republic’s chief executive, Graham Smith, told Metro: “The police are not pursuing this. They say they’re ‘looking into it,’ which is not the same as a criminal investigation. As far as we’re aware, there’s no evidence they’ve interviewed Andrew as a witness or suspect under caution. The debate over the past two weeks has been absolutely abysmal.

“There are serious accusations against him, yet all the conversation has been about whether he should live in one big house or another, or what title he should or shouldn’t have. For justice to be done, we need to focus on the victims — the whole debate needs to be shifted.”

Mr Smith said survivors of Epstein’s trafficking ring would be among those the legal team intends to contact. “We hope that we can take this to a prosecution,” he said. “Obviously, the bar for a criminal case is higher than it is for a civil one. We can’t just point to news articles or books — our lawyers will investigate, talk to witnesses, and, if we get permission from magistrates, we’ll pursue it all the way.”

Asked whether that included speaking directly to Epstein survivors, Mr Smith confirmed: “Indeed, we would need to. It’s not a civil case, so we don’t need to be an injured party. Anyone can bring a private prosecution if they believe someone has committed a crime and hasn’t been prosecuted.