He stated that he remained at home on that specific occasion because the duchess was away on a trip.
"So if one of us was out, the other one was in.
And then occasionally they would have both of us and on this particular occasion, she was away and I was at home," said Mountbatten-Windsor.
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Efforts by BBC Newsnight to verify the presence of royal protection officers at the restaurant were met with a refusal from the Metropolitan Police.
The police service cited national security concerns, stating that confirming the presence of records would disclose protection details for specific individuals.
"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," said the Met.
The response from law enforcement drew criticism from political figures who questioned the application of security exemptions for historical records.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey challenged the decision, arguing that transparency was necessary given the public interest in the case.
"Of course the police are rightly very careful about giving any information about who they give special protection too," said Sir Ed Davey.
He noted that while security protocols are vital, the use of non-disclosure responses often occurs without a valid justification.
"I completely understand that and it's right.
But 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," said Sir Ed Davey.
He urged the Metropolitan Police to make a specific exception regarding the protection logs from 25 years ago.
"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," said Sir Ed Davey.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February 2026 by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office and remains under investigation.
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An internal Pizza Express inquiry found no evidence confirming or denying Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's 2001 restaurant visit claim.
