House Panel Requests Interview with Andrew in Epstein Investigation
A American legislative committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.
The official demand to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.
Documents and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The committee will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.
Substance of the Communication
“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have important details about the offenses 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 asks a answer by 20 November.
Previous Comments and Cooperation
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the committee. The citizens deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not possess the power to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.
Appeals for Transparency
The representative said in a comment that “rich and influential men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure justice for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not stop advocating for answerability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the ongoing probe. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the survivors will receive belated justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is further to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
