House Panel Asks for Deposition with Prince Andrew in Epstein Probe
A US congressional committee looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.
The formal request to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.
Files and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The panel will investigate claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s network, associates, and associates based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any impropriety.
Content of the Communication
“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a response by 20 November.
Past Comments and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the committee. The public should be able to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not possess the power to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a non-US citizen.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.
Demands for Transparency
The congressman said in a statement that “rich and well-connected men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure redress for the victims. The committee will not halt fighting for answerability and openness for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed accountability. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his titles suggest there is additional to this case.”
The letter came on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.