Congressional Panel Asks for Interview with the Duke of York in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry

A US congressional panel investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its inquiry.

The formal request to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and agreed to surrender his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The committee will probe claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any misconduct.

Details of the Communication

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Comments and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the committee. The public has the right to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not have the authority to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “willing 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 “given absolutely no cooperation”.

Appeals for Justice

The congressman said in a statement that “rich and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure justice for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for responsibility and openness for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the active investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is further to this story.”

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