Congressional Panel Seeks Interview with Prince Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation
A American legislative panel looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a communication released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.
The formal request to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.
Documents and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The oversight committee will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any misconduct.
Substance of the Request
“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been alleged that you went 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 accused of abusing minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have valuable information 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 asks a response by 20 November.
Earlier Comments and Assistance
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the committee. The public has the right to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not hold the ability to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to check 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 honored with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.
Appeals for Justice
The congressman said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure justice for the victims. The committee will not stop pushing for responsibility and clarity for victims of Epstein and his group of partners.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his honors suggest there is additional to this story.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
