Congressional Panel Requests Interview with Prince Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Probe

A US congressional panel looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.

The written appeal to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and opted to vacate his property in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any misconduct.

Details of the Communication

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.

Earlier Remarks and Collaboration

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The people deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the authority to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.

Demands for Justice

The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and provide accountability for the survivors. We will not stop fighting for answerability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the active probe. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is more to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.