Congressional Panel Asks for Questioning with the Duke of York in Epstein Probe
A US congressional body probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a communication published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.
The written appeal to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and consented to vacate his property in Windsor.
Files and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The panel will probe claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It sought 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 categorically denied any misconduct.
Details of the Communication
“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls 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 home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.
Earlier Comments and Assistance
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the panel. The citizens deserves to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not hold the ability to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a foreign national.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.
Appeals for Justice
The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and secure accountability for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not halt advocating for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his network of partners.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed accountability. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles show there is more to this story.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.