Congressional Panel Asks for Questioning with Andrew in Epstein Investigation
A American legislative panel investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a letter made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.
The formal request to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and opted to give up his rented residence in Windsor.
Documents and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The committee will probe claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, circle, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any wrongdoing.
Content of the Request
“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have key insights about the offenses 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 requests a response by 20 November.
Past Remarks and Collaboration
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The people deserves to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not possess the power to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any relevant 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 zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Transparency
The lawmaker said in a statement that “wealthy and well-connected men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure redress for the affected individuals. We will not stop advocating for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed redress. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is additional to this story.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.