House Committee Seeks Interview with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation

A US congressional committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its inquiry.

The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears 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 survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s operations, network, and associates based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Content of the Request

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors 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 residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.

Past Comments and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the committee. The citizens deserves to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the ability to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.

Calls for Accountability

The congressman said in a statement that “wealthy and powerful men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure accountability for the affected individuals. We will not stop fighting for answerability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the ongoing investigation. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his titles show there is more to this story.”

The letter came on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.