House Committee Asks for Deposition with the Duke of York 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, demanding that he submit to questioning 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 sibling cooperate with its investigation.

The written appeal to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and consented to vacate his property in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will probe allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, network, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.

Earlier Remarks and Cooperation

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

However, the lawmaker does not hold the authority to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any relevant 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 “given zero cooperation”.

Demands for Transparency

The congressman said in a announcement that “rich and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and deliver redress for the survivors. The committee will not stop advocating for answerability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the current inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his honors show there is additional to this case.”

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