Congressional Committee Seeks Questioning with Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative panel probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its inquiry.
The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.
Records and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The oversight committee will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any misconduct.
Content of the Request
“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.
Previous Statements and Collaboration
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the panel. The citizens deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not hold the power to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given zero cooperation”.
Demands for Accountability
The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and provide justice for the victims. We will not halt advocating for answerability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the active inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed accountability. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles suggest there is more to this situation.”
The letter came on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
