House Committee Requests Interview with Andrew in Epstein Investigation
A US congressional panel probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a communication published on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother assist with its probe.
The written appeal to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and opted to give up his leased home in Windsor.
Documents and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The panel will probe accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s operations, network, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any misconduct.
Substance of the Communication
“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” 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 personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have valuable information about the crimes 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 asks a answer by 20 November.
Previous Comments and Cooperation
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the panel. The citizens has the right to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not hold the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence 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 approached Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his previous pledge 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 assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”.
Calls for Transparency
The representative said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure accountability for the affected individuals. We will not halt fighting for responsibility and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue redress. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors indicate there is additional to this situation.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
