House Panel Requests Interview with Andrew in Epstein Investigation

A American legislative panel probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a letter released on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its inquiry.

The official demand to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any misconduct.

Content of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a answer by 20 November.

Past Statements and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the committee. The public has the right to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the ability to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US agencies 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 prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “affluent and powerful men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and secure justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not cease pushing for responsibility and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated redress. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his honors show there is more to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.