House Committee Seeks Interview with Prince Andrew in Epstein Investigation
A US congressional body probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a document released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.
The formal request to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and agreed to vacate his property in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The panel will probe claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Substance of the Request
“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.
Past Comments and Collaboration
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not have the authority to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to check on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”.
Demands for Transparency
The congressman said in a comment that “affluent and influential men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure justice for the affected individuals. We will not halt advocating for responsibility and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the active inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated redress. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is additional to this case.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
