House Committee Requests Questioning with the Duke of York in Jeffrey Epstein Investigation

A American legislative committee looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its probe.

The formal request to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and opted to surrender his property in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

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 survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will examine allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, network, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any impropriety.

Content of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a response by 20 November.

Past Comments and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the oversight committee. The public has the right to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his public commitment that he was “willing 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 “given no cooperation”.

Appeals for Transparency

The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and well-connected men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and deliver justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this situation.”

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

Sandra Blake
Sandra Blake

A seasoned journalist with over a decade of experience covering UK political affairs and cultural trends.