House Committee Asks for Deposition with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative body looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a document made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its inquiry.
The written appeal to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and agreed to surrender his leased home in Windsor.
Records and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The oversight committee will examine accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, circle, and connections based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
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 always categorically denied any impropriety.
Details of the Letter
“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict 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 secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming minors. 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 confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a response by 20 November.
Earlier Statements and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the committee. The public should be able to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not hold the power to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to check on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.
Calls for Transparency
The congressman said in a comment that “rich and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and deliver redress for the affected individuals. We will not stop fighting for responsibility and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of partners.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the active inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed accountability. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors suggest there is additional to this situation.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.