Congressional Committee Asks for Questioning with Andrew in Epstein Investigation

A US congressional body investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication published on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its investigation.

The written appeal to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

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

“The panel will examine accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s network, network, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any impropriety.

Content of the Communication

“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.

Earlier Statements and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens should be able to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the authority to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to check on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and secure justice for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not halt pushing for answerability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another signatory, 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 crucial that Andrew assists with the active investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.