Congressional Committee Seeks Questioning with the Duke of York in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation
A American legislative committee looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a document made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its probe.
The formal request to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Records and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The oversight committee will examine allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s network, associates, and associates based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any impropriety.
Substance of the Communication
“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.
Past Statements and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the committee. The public has the right to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not possess the power to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any suitable 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”.
Calls for Transparency
The representative said in a comment that “rich and powerful men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and provide justice for the survivors. The committee will not stop fighting for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network 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 leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the current inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this story.”
The letter came on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the change – 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.
