Congressional Panel Asks for Deposition with the Duke of York in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation
A US congressional panel probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its probe.
The written appeal to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.
Records and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.
“The committee will examine claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s network, circle, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any impropriety.
Content of the Communication
“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A statement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.
Earlier Comments and Collaboration
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the panel. The people deserves to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not possess the ability to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US officials 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 authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.
Calls for Accountability
The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and deliver justice for the victims. The committee will not stop advocating for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his network of partners.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive much-delayed accountability. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors 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 alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
