Congressional Committee Seeks Deposition with Prince Andrew in Epstein Probe

A American legislative panel investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its probe.

The official demand to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and agreed to vacate his property in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s operations, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any impropriety.

Details 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 sentencing for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a reply by 20 November.

Previous Comments and Assistance

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the oversight committee. The public should be able to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the ability to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Justice

The congressman said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not halt fighting for responsibility and openness for victims of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the survivors will receive belated redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is more to this story.”

The letter was sent 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 “official document” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.