House Committee Requests Deposition with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation

A US congressional panel looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and consented to surrender his property in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The oversight committee will examine claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Content of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.

Earlier Remarks and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The public should be able to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not have the authority to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to check on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Calls for Justice

The congressman said in a comment that “rich and well-connected men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure redress for the victims. We will not cease pushing for answerability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his styles show there is further to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.