House Committee Requests Questioning with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Probe
A American legislative body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its inquiry.
The official demand to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and opted to give up his rented residence in Windsor.
Records and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The panel will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s operations, network, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any impropriety.
Content of the Request
“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.
Past Remarks and Assistance
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not hold the ability to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to check on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant 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 zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Justice
The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not halt pushing for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of partners.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the ongoing investigation. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive long overdue justice. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors indicate there is additional to this story.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
