Congressional Panel Seeks Questioning with the Duke of York in Epstein Inquiry
A US congressional body looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.
The written appeal to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and consented to surrender his leased home in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The panel will investigate accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s activities, associates, and associates based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any impropriety.
Content of the Communication
“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been reported 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 young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a response by 20 November.
Past Remarks and Assistance
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the panel. The public has the right to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not possess the power to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”.
Demands for Accountability
The representative said in a announcement that “wealthy and well-connected men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not cease pushing for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles suggest there is further to this story.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
