Congressional Panel Asks for Interview with Prince Andrew in Epstein Investigation

A US congressional panel investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its investigation.

The formal request to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to give up his property in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will examine claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

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

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

Past Statements and Assistance

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens should be able to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the authority to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to check on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Accountability

The congressman said in a statement that “wealthy and well-connected men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and deliver justice for the survivors. We will not stop advocating for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the current probe. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive long overdue justice. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this case.”

The letter came on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.