Congressional Panel Asks for Interview with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
A US congressional body probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a communication released on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its probe.
The formal request to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and opted to surrender his property in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The panel will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s activities, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Content of the Letter
“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a response by 20 November.
Previous Statements and Assistance
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the panel. The public should be able to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not hold the ability to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.
Demands for Transparency
The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and well-connected men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and deliver redress for the survivors. We will not cease pushing for answerability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the ongoing probe. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles suggest there is additional to this case.”
The letter came on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
