House Committee Asks for Interview with Prince Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a document published on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.
The formal request to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and agreed to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Files and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The oversight committee will probe allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It demanded 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 Letter
“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings 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 reply by 20 November.
Past Remarks and Collaboration
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the committee. The public should be able to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not hold the power to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered absolutely no cooperation”.
Demands for Transparency
The congressman said in a comment that “affluent and influential men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and provide accountability for the affected individuals. The committee will not cease fighting for answerability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his titles show there is more to this case.”
The letter came on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.