🔗 Share this article

A American legislative panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The formal request to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and consented to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and aviation records 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 committee will probe allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Content of the Communication

“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate 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, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have important details about the crimes 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 answer by 20 November.

Previous Statements and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to testify before the committee. The citizens has the right to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not have the ability to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “rich and influential men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and provide justice for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not cease advocating for responsibility and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active investigation. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive long overdue accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.