Congressional Committee Seeks Interview with Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A US congressional panel investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a letter published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its inquiry.
The formal request to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and agreed to vacate his leased home in Windsor.
Documents and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The panel will probe claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s operations, network, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.
Substance of the Communication
“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.
Previous Comments and Cooperation
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the committee. The people deserves to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not have the power to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.
Demands for Accountability
The representative said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure justice for the victims. We will not stop fighting for accountability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing probe. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles show there is further to this situation.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
