Congressional Panel Requests Questioning with Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Probe

A US congressional body investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication released on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The formal request to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and agreed to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s network, associates, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the crimes 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 requests a reply by 20 November.

Past Comments and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to appear before the committee. The public should be able to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the ability to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to check on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant 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 “given zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Accountability

The representative said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver accountability for the survivors. The committee will not stop fighting for answerability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the active probe. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the survivors will receive long overdue justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his styles show there is more to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.