Congressional Panel Seeks Deposition with Prince Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation
A American legislative panel investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.
The written appeal to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to surrender his property in Windsor.
Documents and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The oversight committee will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s activities, network, and connections based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any misconduct.
Substance of the Request
“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.
Previous Comments and Cooperation
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the oversight committee. The people should be able to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not hold the ability to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US authorities 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 contacted Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.
Calls for Accountability
The representative said in a announcement that “rich and influential men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and secure accountability for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the active investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated redress. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles suggest there is further to this case.”
The letter came on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.