House Committee Asks for Questioning with Prince Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation
A American legislative panel investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its inquiry.
The written appeal to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and opted to give up his property in Windsor.
Records and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The committee will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s operations, circle, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any misconduct.
Substance of the Communication
“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have valuable information about the offenses 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 requests a answer by 20 November.
Earlier Statements and Collaboration
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the panel. The people has the right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not possess the power to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.
Demands for Justice
The congressman said in a statement that “wealthy and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and deliver accountability for the survivors. We will not halt advocating for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the current investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles show there is more to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
