House Panel Seeks Deposition with Prince Andrew in Jeffrey Epstein Probe

A American legislative committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its investigation.

The formal request to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

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

“The oversight committee will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s operations, circle, and associates based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, 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 underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Comments and Assistance

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

However, the representative does not hold the authority to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US requests for an interview. 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 inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Transparency

The congressman said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and secure justice for the survivors. We will not halt advocating for accountability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the current inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the victims will receive much-delayed accountability. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his titles show there is further to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.