House Panel Seeks Questioning with Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A US congressional panel looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.
The written appeal to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.
Records and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The panel will probe allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s activities, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any misconduct.
Substance of the Request
“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.
Previous Statements and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The public has the right to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not have the power to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.
Calls for Transparency
The congressman said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. We will not halt pushing for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the ongoing investigation. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the survivors will receive long overdue justice. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is more to this case.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
