House Committee Requests Interview with the Duke of York in Epstein Probe

A US congressional body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document released on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother help with its investigation.

The official demand to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The panel will probe claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s activities, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Details of the Letter

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

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have important details about the wrongdoings 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 requests a reply by 20 November.

Past Statements and Cooperation

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

However, the representative does not hold the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not 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 contacted Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.

Calls for Accountability

The congressman said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and deliver accountability for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not stop fighting for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the active inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the victims will receive long overdue accountability. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his titles indicate there is additional to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.