🔗 Share this article

A American legislative panel looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The formal request to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and agreed to vacate his property in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will examine claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s operations, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any misconduct.

Details of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Remarks and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the panel. The people deserves to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not have the ability to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair 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”.

Calls for Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “rich and well-connected men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and secure accountability for the survivors. The committee will not cease pushing for accountability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the victims will receive much-delayed justice. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is more to this situation.”

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