House Panel Asks for Interview with the Duke of York in Jeffrey Epstein Probe
A US congressional body investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a letter released on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its probe.
The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and agreed to vacate his property in Windsor.
Files and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The committee will probe accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s operations, circle, and connections based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Details of the Request
“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors 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 estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange 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 accomplices.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.
Past Comments and Collaboration
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the panel. The people has the right to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not have the ability to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a non-US citizen.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond 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 lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable 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”.
Calls for Justice
The congressman said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and secure accountability for the affected individuals. We will not stop advocating for responsibility and openness for survivors of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the current probe. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed accountability. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his titles indicate there is more to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
