House Committee Seeks Deposition with the Duke of York in Epstein Probe
A US congressional body investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.
In a document released on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.
The written appeal to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.
Records and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The oversight committee will examine allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship 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 association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.
Past Statements and Collaboration
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens deserves to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.
Appeals for Accountability
The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and influential men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and deliver justice for the affected individuals. We will not cease fighting for answerability and clarity for victims of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the current probe. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive much-delayed redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles suggest there is additional to this case.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.
