House Panel Asks for Questioning with the Duke of York in Jeffrey Epstein Probe
A US congressional committee looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a letter released on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its inquiry.
The written appeal to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.
Files and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The panel will probe accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s activities, associates, and connections based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any impropriety.
Details of the Letter
“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled 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 valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.
Earlier Comments and Cooperation
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The people should be able to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not have the ability to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to check on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.
Calls for Accountability
The lawmaker said in a announcement that “rich and influential men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure accountability for the survivors. We will not cease advocating for accountability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the current inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this situation.”
The letter came on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.