Congressional Committee Asks for Deposition with Andrew in Epstein Probe
A American legislative panel investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its inquiry.
The written appeal to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and agreed to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and flight 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 misconduct.
“The oversight committee will examine claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any misconduct.
Details of the Communication
“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a response by 20 November.
Past Remarks and Collaboration
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the committee. The public has the right to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not hold the power to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a non-US citizen.
In 2020, US officials 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 “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”.
Demands for Justice
The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and influential men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and secure redress for the survivors. We will not halt pushing for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the current investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the victims will receive belated redress. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his honors suggest there is further to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
