Congressional Panel Requests Questioning with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation

A American legislative body probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a letter published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its investigation.

The official demand to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to vacate his property in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The committee will investigate allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, network, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “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 private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.

Past Comments and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the panel. The public has the right to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the power to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to check on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.

Calls for Accountability

The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and well-connected men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. The committee will not cease fighting for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the current probe. 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 belated redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is more to this case.”

The letter came on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.