Congressional Committee Asks for Interview with Prince Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Probe

A American legislative committee probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.

The official demand to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to surrender his property in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

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 repeatedly vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Details of the Communication

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.

Earlier Statements and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The citizens has the right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not have the authority to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his public commitment 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 public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Transparency

The congressman said in a statement that “wealthy and well-connected men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure redress for the affected individuals. We will not cease fighting for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the current investigation. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this case.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.