Congressional Committee Asks for Interview with the Duke of York in Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry

A American legislative body investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its inquiry.

The written appeal to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The oversight committee will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s operations, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Letter

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have important details about the offenses 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 requests a reply by 20 November.

Earlier Statements and Collaboration

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the committee. The citizens deserves to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the power to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US demands for an discussion. 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 inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The congressman said in a statement that “rich and well-connected men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and provide justice for the survivors. The committee will not halt fighting for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang 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 disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing probe. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.