Congressional Panel Asks for Deposition with Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A US congressional committee probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its inquiry.
The formal request to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and agreed to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Records and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The oversight committee will probe allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s network, network, and connections based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Content of the Request
“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, 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 intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.
Previous Remarks and Collaboration
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the panel. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not have the power to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.
Demands for Transparency
The lawmaker said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and deliver redress for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not halt fighting for responsibility and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the current investigation. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is further to this situation.”
The letter came on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
