Congressional Panel Seeks Deposition with the Duke of York in Epstein Inquiry

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

In a letter made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.

The formal request to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The committee will probe allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s operations, associates, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

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

Substance of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Past Remarks and Collaboration

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

However, the lawmaker does not have the power to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to check on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Justice

The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and secure accountability for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not cease fighting for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the current probe. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed justice. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.