Congressional Panel Asks for Deposition with the Duke of York in Epstein Probe

A US congressional panel probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a letter released on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.

The written appeal to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s activities, associates, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any misconduct.

Details of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings 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.

Past Statements and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the oversight committee. The public has the right to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the authority to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Justice

The congressman said in a statement that “wealthy and powerful men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not cease advocating for responsibility and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the ongoing probe. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the survivors will receive long overdue redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles indicate there is more to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.