Congressional Panel Asks for Interview with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Probe
A US congressional panel investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its probe.
The official demand to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and opted to vacate his property in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The oversight committee will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s operations, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any misconduct.
Substance of the Letter
“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.
Earlier Comments and Collaboration
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The public should be able to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not possess the ability to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a foreign national.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The lawmaker said in a comment that “rich and powerful men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure justice for the victims. The committee will not stop fighting for responsibility and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the current probe. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive much-delayed accountability. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
