Congressional Committee Asks for Interview with the Duke of York in Epstein Inquiry

A US congressional body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and agreed to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

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

“The oversight committee will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any misconduct.

Details of the Communication

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Remarks and Assistance

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

However, the lawmaker does not possess the ability to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US demands for an meeting. 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 check on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Justice

The congressman said in a statement that “rich and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and secure redress for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not halt advocating for responsibility and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the survivors will receive long overdue justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is further to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.