Congressional Panel Requests Deposition with Prince Andrew in Epstein Investigation
A American legislative committee probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a communication released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother help with its investigation.
The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and agreed to give up his property in Windsor.
Documents and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The panel will investigate accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s activities, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.
Content of the Request
“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.
Previous Comments and Collaboration
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the oversight committee. The people should be able to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not have the ability to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”.
Demands for Transparency
The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and provide redress for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not cease advocating for responsibility and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the active inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue justice. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles suggest there is more to this situation.”
The letter came on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
