Congressional Committee Requests Questioning with the Duke of York in Epstein Investigation
A US congressional panel looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a letter made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.
The formal request to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and consented to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.
Records and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The panel will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s activities, network, and connections based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any misconduct.
Content 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 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have important details 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 answer by 20 November.
Past Remarks and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the oversight committee. The people should be able to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not have the power to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to check on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered absolutely no cooperation”.
Demands for Transparency
The representative said in a statement that “affluent and influential men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and deliver accountability for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not halt fighting for answerability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of partners.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive much-delayed justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is further to this situation.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
