Congressional Committee Seeks Interview with Prince Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative body investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a document published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother help with its investigation.
The formal request to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.
Documents and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The oversight committee will investigate claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.
Substance of the Letter
“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 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 crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.
Previous Remarks and Cooperation
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the panel. The public has the right to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not possess the authority to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Transparency
The congressman said in a comment that “rich and well-connected men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and provide justice for the affected individuals. We will not stop fighting for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his network of partners.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the active inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his styles indicate there is additional to this situation.”
The letter came on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
