House Committee Requests Questioning with the Duke of York in Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative committee probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.
The formal request to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and agreed to give up his property in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
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 accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The committee will investigate claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, circle, and associates based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any misconduct.
Content of the Communication
“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting underage individuals. 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 bolsters our suspicion 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 requests a reply by 20 November.
Earlier Statements and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the panel. The citizens should be able to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not have the power to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.
Calls for Transparency
The lawmaker said in a comment that “affluent and well-connected men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide accountability for the survivors. We will not stop fighting for answerability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his group of partners.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles show there is further to this story.”
The letter came on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
