Congressional Panel Seeks Deposition with Andrew in Epstein Probe

A American legislative body probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter 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 published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its probe.

The formal request to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and opted to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s operations, network, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Content of the Letter

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

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Statements and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to appear before the committee. The people deserves to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not possess the power to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond 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 attorneys to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.

Demands for Justice

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “rich and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and secure accountability for the survivors. We will not cease fighting for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the active investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed redress. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his honors indicate there is more to this story.”

The letter came on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.