Congressional Panel Requests Interview with the Duke of York in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative panel probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a letter published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.
The written appeal to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Documents and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The oversight committee will investigate claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s activities, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any misconduct.
Content of the Request
“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a response by 20 November.
Previous Remarks and Assistance
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the panel. The citizens has the right to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not have the power to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to check on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.
Demands for Accountability
The lawmaker said in a comment that “rich and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and secure accountability for the survivors. The committee will not stop advocating for responsibility and clarity for victims of Epstein and his network of partners.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles indicate there is additional to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
