Congressional Panel Asks for Interview with the Duke of York in Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative panel looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its investigation.
The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Documents and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and flight logs subpoenaed 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 committee will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s activities, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any impropriety.
Details of the Request
“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a answer by 20 November.
Previous Statements and Assistance
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the panel. The people deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not hold the power to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a foreign national.
In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The representative said in a statement that “affluent and well-connected men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and secure redress for the victims. The committee will not halt advocating for answerability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the current probe. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the victims will receive much-delayed justice. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his honors suggest there is more to this situation.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
