House Committee Seeks Questioning with Prince Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation

A American legislative body looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.

The official demand to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The oversight committee will probe allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any impropriety.

Substance of the Request

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.

Earlier Remarks and Collaboration

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the panel. The public deserves to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not have the ability to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered absolutely no cooperation”.

Demands for Transparency

The representative said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure redress for the affected individuals. The committee will not cease pushing for answerability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the ongoing investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the victims will receive much-delayed redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.