House Panel Requests Deposition with Andrew in Epstein Probe
A US congressional committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a letter released on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its inquiry.
The formal request to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and agreed to give up his property in Windsor.
Documents and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public 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 wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s network, circle, and connections based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any impropriety.
Substance of the Letter
“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.
Past Statements and Assistance
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens should be able to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not hold the power to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.
Calls for Transparency
The lawmaker said in a comment that “rich and powerful men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and deliver justice for the victims. We will not cease advocating for answerability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive long overdue redress. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his honors indicate there is more to this case.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
