House Panel Asks for Questioning with the Duke of York in Epstein Probe
A US congressional body looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a document released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its probe.
The written appeal to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and agreed to surrender his leased home in Windsor.
Documents and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The committee will examine claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any wrongdoing.
Substance of the Communication
“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a answer by 20 November.
Previous Statements and Cooperation
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The people should be able to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not hold the authority to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The representative said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and provide accountability for the survivors. The committee will not stop fighting for answerability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the active investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed accountability. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is more to this story.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.