Congressional Panel Seeks Interview with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Probe
A American legislative committee looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a letter released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its investigation.
The formal request to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and opted to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The oversight committee will probe claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Details of the Request
“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.
Past Remarks and Assistance
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to appear before the committee. The citizens deserves to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not hold the authority to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a foreign national.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to check 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 followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.
Demands for Justice
The representative said in a statement that “rich and well-connected men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide justice for the affected individuals. The committee will not cease fighting for answerability and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the ongoing probe. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the victims will receive much-delayed justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his styles suggest there is more to this story.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
