Congressional Panel Requests Questioning with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative committee investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a communication published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.
The official demand to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and opted to give up his leased home in Windsor.
Files and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The panel will probe claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any misconduct.
Details of the Request
“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication 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 accomplices.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.
Earlier Remarks and Collaboration
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the panel. The citizens should be able to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not possess the authority to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US requests 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 “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Transparency
The lawmaker said in a announcement that “rich and powerful men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. We will not stop advocating for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of partners.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors suggest there is further to this case.”
The letter came on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.