A American legislative committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.
In a document made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its inquiry.
The formal request to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to surrender his leased home in Windsor.
Documents and Accusations
Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.
“The panel will examine allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s activities, network, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.
It requested information 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 always strongly denied any misconduct.
Content of the Request
“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.
It added: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings 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 Remarks and Cooperation
The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the panel. The people deserves to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the representative does not possess the ability to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.
“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”.
Demands for Accountability
The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and provide justice for the survivors. The committee will not halt advocating for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his group of partners.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the active inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated redress. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors suggest there is further to this situation.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially stripped 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 royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.
