Congressional Panel Asks for Interview with the Duke of York in Epstein Probe
A American legislative panel investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a communication released on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.
The formal request to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and opted to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Records and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The panel will examine claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s network, circle, and associates based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.
Substance of the Letter
“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a response by 20 November.
Previous Comments and Assistance
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the oversight committee. The public has the right to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not have the authority to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The congressman said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and provide justice for the victims. We will not halt pushing for responsibility and clarity for victims of Epstein and his group of partners.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is further to this case.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
