House Panel Requests Questioning with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative panel looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a letter released on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its probe.
The official demand to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to vacate his property in Windsor.
Records and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The panel will investigate accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any wrongdoing.
Substance of the Request
“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.
Previous Comments and Cooperation
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the panel. The people deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not have the ability to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a non-US citizen.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to check on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.
Demands for Justice
The representative said in a comment that “rich and influential men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and provide redress for the victims. We will not stop fighting for responsibility and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the active investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue justice. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors indicate there is further to this case.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
