House Committee Requests Interview with Prince Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation

A American legislative panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication released on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.

The written appeal to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The committee will examine allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s activities, network, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any misconduct.

Details of the Communication

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing 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 home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Remarks and Assistance

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

However, the representative does not possess the ability to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “wealthy and well-connected men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and secure accountability for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not cease pushing for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the victims will receive much-delayed accountability. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his titles show there is further to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.