Congressional Committee Requests Deposition with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Probe
A American legislative committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother help with its investigation.
The official demand to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and agreed to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The committee will investigate claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and associates based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any misconduct.
Content of the Communication
“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for sex work,” 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 charged of harming minors. This close relationship 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 belief that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a response by 20 November.
Past Remarks and Assistance
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens has the right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not possess the ability to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The lawmaker said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide justice for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles suggest there is more to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the alteration – 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.