House Panel Requests Deposition with the Duke of York in Epstein Inquiry
A American legislative body investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a letter published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its inquiry.
The written appeal to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and agreed to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.
Files and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The committee will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.
It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.
Details of the Letter
“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It continued: “It has also been reported that you went 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 alleged of harming minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a reply by 20 November.
Past Comments and Cooperation
The letter arrives 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 underage individuals alongside Epstein.”
However, the congressman does not possess the authority to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.
Calls for Accountability
The lawmaker said in a comment that “affluent and well-connected men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure accountability for the victims. We will not halt fighting for accountability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”
Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the ongoing investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his styles suggest there is more to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
