Congressional Committee Seeks Questioning with Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative panel probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written 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 communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its investigation.
The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and opted to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Documents and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs secured 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 abuse.
“The panel will investigate accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, network, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Details of the Request
“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It continued: “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 secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a response by 20 November.
Past Statements and Assistance
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to appear before the committee. The citizens should be able to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not have the power to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire 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 followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered absolutely no cooperation”.
Calls for Justice
The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and secure redress for the affected individuals. The committee will not halt fighting for answerability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is further to this case.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
