Congressional Panel Asks for Questioning with Prince Andrew in Epstein Probe
A US congressional panel looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its inquiry.
The official demand to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to give up his property in Windsor.
Records and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The oversight committee will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s network, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.
Substance of the Letter
“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home 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 newly disclosed 2011 digital communication 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 co-conspirators.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a response by 20 November.
Past Remarks and Collaboration
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the committee. The public deserves to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not possess the ability to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his public commitment 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 public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.
Demands for Justice
The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and influential men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and provide redress for the victims. The committee will not halt pushing for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his group of partners.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing probe. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors suggest there is further to this situation.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
