Congressional Panel Asks for Deposition with the Duke of York in Epstein Probe

A US congressional body investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its investigation.

The official demand to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The panel will investigate allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s activities, associates, and associates based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been alleged that you traveled 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 charged of harming underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.

Earlier Statements and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the authority to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable 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 “provided zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Justice

The lawmaker said in a statement that “rich and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and secure redress for the victims. We will not stop pushing for answerability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another endorser, 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 vital that Andrew assists with the active inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.