🔗 Share this article

A American legislative committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication released on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its probe.

The written appeal to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and agreed to vacate his property in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Details of the Letter

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.

Earlier Statements and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the committee. The citizens should be able to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the ability to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The congressman said in a comment that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and provide justice for the affected individuals. The committee will not cease pushing for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the current inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is further to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.