House Committee Asks for Questioning with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Probe
A American legislative panel looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a document published on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its probe.
The written appeal to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and agreed to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Documents and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The oversight committee will investigate accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s activities, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It requested 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 consistently vehemently rejected any misconduct.
Substance of the Communication
“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.
Previous Remarks and Cooperation
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the panel. The citizens has the right to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not possess the ability to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a non-US citizen.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The representative said in a announcement that “rich and powerful men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and deliver redress for the affected individuals. The committee will not halt fighting for accountability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the current probe. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the victims will receive much-delayed accountability. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
