Congressional Panel Asks for Interview with Prince Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative body investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its probe.
The written appeal to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and opted to vacate his leased home in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The oversight committee will examine claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, associates, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any wrongdoing.
Substance of the Request
“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a response by 20 November.
Earlier Statements and Assistance
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the panel. The people deserves to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not possess the power to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities 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 reached out to Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”.
Calls for Accountability
The congressman said in a comment that “rich and influential men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and secure justice for the victims. We will not stop pushing for answerability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of partners.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the current probe. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is more to this story.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
