Congressional Committee Seeks Deposition with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry

A US congressional body investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its probe.

The formal request to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to surrender his property in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The committee will investigate allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, circle, and associates based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship 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 Letter

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “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 charged of abusing young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have important details 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.

Previous Statements and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the panel. The citizens deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the power to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to check on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Justice

The lawmaker said in a comment that “affluent and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and provide accountability for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not cease advocating for answerability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue accountability. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is more to this case.”

The letter came on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.