🔗 Share this article

A American legislative body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its investigation.

The formal request to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

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

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any misconduct.

Substance of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Previous Statements and Assistance

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to appear before the committee. The public has the right to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the power to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to check on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a comment that “affluent and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and secure justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his styles 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 publicly made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.