House Committee Seeks Deposition with Andrew in Epstein Inquiry
A US congressional committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its investigation.
The written appeal to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and opted to give up his leased home in Windsor.
Records and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The committee will investigate claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s operations, circle, and associates based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any misconduct.
Details of the Letter
“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.
Earlier Remarks and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the committee. The citizens has the right to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not hold the ability to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The lawmaker said in a comment that “rich and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and provide justice for the survivors. The committee will not cease fighting for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive long overdue accountability. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors suggest there is additional to this situation.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.