House Panel Asks for Deposition with the Duke of York in Epstein Investigation
A American legislative body probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.
In a communication published on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its probe.
The written appeal to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and opted to surrender his leased home in Windsor.
Files and Claims
Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.
“The committee will investigate accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s operations, associates, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.
It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any misconduct.
Content of the Communication
“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.
It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A announcement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.
Previous Comments and Cooperation
The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the committee. The citizens has the right to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”
However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a overseas individual.
In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.
Calls for Justice
The lawmaker said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and deliver redress for the affected individuals. The committee will not cease fighting for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”
Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the active inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”
The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is additional to this case.”
The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.
