House Committee Requests Questioning with Prince Andrew in Epstein Probe
A American legislative panel probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother help with its investigation.
The formal request to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to vacate his property in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The oversight committee will investigate accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s activities, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.
Substance of the Communication
“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been reported 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 harming young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have important details about the wrongdoings 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 requests a reply by 20 November.
Previous Remarks and Assistance
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the panel. The public has the right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not have the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to check on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.
Demands for Accountability
The congressman said in a statement that “rich and powerful men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and deliver redress for the survivors. The committee will not cease pushing for answerability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his gang of partners.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the active probe. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed redress. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his honors suggest there is further to this situation.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.