Congressional Panel Asks for Deposition with Prince Andrew in Epstein Investigation

A US congressional body probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document released on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.

The formal request to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will probe accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any impropriety.

Content of the Communication

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

It added: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a reply by 20 November.

Earlier Remarks and Assistance

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens deserves to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the ability to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to check on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.

Appeals for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a comment that “rich and well-connected men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and provide redress for the survivors. The committee will not cease pushing for answerability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing investigation. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue justice. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his titles show there is further to this story.”

The letter came on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.