Congressional Committee Seeks Interview with Andrew in Epstein Investigation
A American legislative committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its inquiry.
The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and opted to give up his leased home in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The panel will investigate claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s operations, associates, and associates based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.
Substance of the Letter
“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been reported that you traveled 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 charged of harming underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.
Past Statements and Collaboration
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the panel. The citizens has the right to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a non-US citizen.
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 authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable 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”.
Appeals for Accountability
The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and deliver redress for the victims. We will not stop pushing for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is more to this story.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
