Congressional Committee Requests Questioning with Prince Andrew in Epstein Investigation

A US congressional body looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document released on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.

The official demand to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Details of the Letter

“It has been documented that your relationship 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 claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 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 wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a response by 20 November.

Earlier Statements and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the panel. The people should be able to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not possess the power to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Justice

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “rich and powerful men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure redress for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not cease pushing for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts 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 continued: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his honors suggest there is more to this story.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.