House Panel Requests Questioning with Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A US congressional panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a letter released on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its inquiry.
The formal request to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to give up his property in Windsor.
Records and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The panel will probe allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s operations, network, and associates based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any impropriety.
Substance of the Letter
“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a reply by 20 November.
Previous Remarks and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the panel. The public has the right to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not have the authority to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a non-US citizen.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US requests for an interview. 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 relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered absolutely no cooperation”.
Calls for Justice
The lawmaker said in a comment that “affluent and influential men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and provide accountability for the affected individuals. The committee will not stop advocating for responsibility and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his network of partners.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active investigation. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive much-delayed redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is additional to this case.”
The letter came on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
