Congressional Committee Seeks Interview with Andrew in Epstein Probe
A US congressional panel looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a letter released on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its probe.
The formal request to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to give up his leased home in Windsor.
Documents and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The oversight committee will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.
Content of the Request
“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings 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 answer by 20 November.
Previous Comments and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to testify before the committee. The citizens should be able to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not possess the ability to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a foreign national.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The congressman said in a announcement that “affluent and well-connected men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and provide justice for the affected individuals. We will not halt fighting for answerability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the current investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his styles suggest there is additional to this case.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the change – 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.
