House Panel Requests Questioning with Prince Andrew in Epstein Investigation
A US congressional body investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a letter made public on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its investigation.
The written appeal to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and agreed to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Files and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The committee will investigate claims of misconduct 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 statement.
It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.
Content of the Request
“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been claimed 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 charged of harming underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a reply by 20 November.
Previous Statements and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not hold the power to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Justice
The representative said in a announcement that “rich and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and deliver redress for the victims. We will not stop advocating for responsibility and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles suggest there is further to this situation.”
The letter came on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
