🔗 Share this article

A American legislative body looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its investigation.

The formal request to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and agreed to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and flight logs secured 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 misconduct.

“The panel will examine accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, associates, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Content of the Communication

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

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Previous Comments and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The people should be able to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to check on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a statement that “wealthy and powerful men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and provide accountability for the victims. The committee will not cease pushing for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, 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 current investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.