Congressional Panel Asks for Interview with Prince Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
A US congressional body looking into pedophile financier 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 California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its probe.
The official demand to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Records and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The panel will probe allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s operations, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Substance of the Communication
“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a reply by 20 November.
Past Comments and Assistance
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens has the right to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not possess the authority to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to check on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.
Appeals for Justice
The representative said in a comment that “rich and powerful men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure redress for the survivors. The committee will not stop fighting for answerability and openness for victims of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is further to this case.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
