House Committee Requests Deposition with Andrew in Epstein Inquiry

A American legislative panel looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.

The formal request to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and travel logs obtained 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 sexual assault.

“The committee will investigate accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any impropriety.

Substance of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.

Earlier Statements and Assistance

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

However, the lawmaker does not have the ability to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Justice

The representative said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and provide redress for the victims. The committee will not cease advocating for responsibility and clarity for victims of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles show there is additional to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.