Congressional Committee Asks for Deposition with the Duke of York in Epstein Inquiry

A US congressional committee probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.

The official demand to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and consented to surrender his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s activities, network, and connections based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any misconduct.

Content of the Request

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Previous Remarks and Collaboration

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

However, the representative does not possess the authority to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Justice

The representative said in a statement that “rich and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and secure accountability for the survivors. We will not cease fighting for answerability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

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

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed justice. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors show there is additional to this story.”

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