Congressional Panel Requests Interview with the Duke of York in Epstein Investigation

A American legislative body investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.

The written appeal to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will investigate allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion 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 response by 20 November.

Previous Comments and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the panel. The public deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the authority to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and deliver justice for the survivors. The committee will not halt fighting for answerability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive long overdue justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles show there is more to this situation.”

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