Congressional Panel Requests Questioning with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Probe
A American legislative body probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its inquiry.
The official demand to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and agreed to vacate his leased home in Windsor.
Records and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and aviation records subpoenaed 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 misconduct.
“The oversight committee will probe allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s network, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any impropriety.
Details of the Letter
“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you traveled 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 alleged of abusing underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.
Previous Remarks and Cooperation
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the committee. The citizens deserves to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not possess the ability to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The representative said in a comment that “wealthy and well-connected men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and deliver justice for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not halt pushing for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing probe. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive much-delayed redress. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his styles show there is further to this case.”
The letter came on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
