🔗 Share this article

A American legislative committee probing 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 investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.

The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and agreed to give up his property in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The committee will examine accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s activities, circle, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Substance of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Comments and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the panel. The people deserves to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the ability to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US appeals 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 attorneys to check on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Accountability

The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and well-connected men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure justice for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not cease advocating for accountability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing investigation. 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 belated justice. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors show there is further to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.