Congressional Committee Asks for Deposition with the Duke of York in Epstein Probe
A US congressional body looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a letter released on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother help with its investigation.
The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to give up his rented residence in Windsor.
Documents and Allegations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and flight logs 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 abuse.
“The panel will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, network, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any impropriety.
Details of the Communication
“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A notification regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a answer by 20 November.
Previous Statements and Collaboration
The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the panel. The public deserves to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not have the power to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to follow up 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 public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered absolutely no cooperation”.
Demands for Accountability
The congressman said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure accountability for the victims. The committee will not stop fighting for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of partners.”
Another endorser, 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 cooperates with the current inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”
The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this situation.”
The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.