🔗 Share this article House Panel Requests Interview with Prince Andrew in Epstein Inquiry A American legislative panel probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings. In a letter released on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother help with its inquiry. The formal request to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and opted to vacate his leased home in Windsor. Documents and Allegations Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse. “The panel will investigate claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information 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 demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any misconduct. Details of the Letter “It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said. It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you went 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 alleged of assaulting underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined 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 key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.” A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November. Earlier Remarks and Cooperation The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the panel. The public deserves to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.” However, the congressman does not possess the authority to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual. In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to check on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”. “It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”. Demands for Accountability The lawmaker said in a comment that “affluent and influential men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and provide redress for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his group of partners.” Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.” The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated accountability. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his styles suggest there is additional to this story.” The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.