Congressional Panel Requests Deposition with Andrew in Epstein Investigation
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 participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its probe.
The formal request to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and consented to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.
Documents and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The oversight committee will examine allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.
Details of the Letter
“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a response by 20 November.
Earlier Comments and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not hold the power to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US requests 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 previous pledge that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.
Demands for Accountability
The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and influential men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and secure accountability for the affected individuals. We will not cease pushing for responsibility and clarity for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”
Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the current probe. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the victims will receive much-delayed redress. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors show there is more to this story.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
