🔗 Share this article

A US congressional body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its inquiry.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will examine allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Content of the Request

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

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting underage individuals. 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 belief that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Statements and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the panel. The public should be able to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Justice

The representative said in a comment that “wealthy and powerful men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not halt pushing for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue accountability. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.