House Panel Requests Deposition with Prince Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its investigation.
The official demand to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and agreed to give up his leased home in Windsor.
Documents and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features 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 survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The committee will examine allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any impropriety.
Substance of the Letter
“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined 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 key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.
Earlier Remarks and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the oversight committee. The people should be able to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not have the ability to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate 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 follow up on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Transparency
The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and well-connected men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and provide justice for the survivors. We will not stop fighting for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles show there is further to this story.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
