Congressional Committee Asks for Questioning with Prince Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative panel looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its inquiry.
The formal request to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and opted to vacate his leased home in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The oversight committee will investigate claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s operations, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any misconduct.
Details of the Request
“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a response by 20 November.
Previous Remarks and Cooperation
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the oversight committee. The people has the right to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not possess the power to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a non-US citizen.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected 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 lawyers to inquire on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.
Calls for Transparency
The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and secure accountability for the victims. We will not cease advocating for answerability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this situation.”
The letter came on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
