Congressional Panel Requests Deposition with Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative body looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its investigation.
The official demand to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and agreed to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.
Records and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The oversight committee will investigate allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s activities, associates, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any wrongdoing.
Details of the Communication
“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence 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 notification regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a reply by 20 November.
Past Remarks and Collaboration
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the panel. The people has the right to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not possess the ability to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.
Demands for Justice
The representative said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide redress for the victims. We will not halt pushing for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is more to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.