A US congressional panel investigating the late financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally requested an interview with Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, as part of its inquiry into Epstein's criminal network. The letter, published on Thursday by California congressman Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, asks King Charles III's younger brother to cooperate with the investigation.
The request comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and agreed to give up his leased home in Windsor. His name appears in documents and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein's estate, and he has been accused of sexual assault by the late Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's victims. The committee stated it will investigate allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor and seek information on Epstein's operations, network, and associates.
The letter demands details on Mountbatten Windsor's relationship with Epstein, noting their friendship began in 1999 and continued after Epstein's 2008 conviction for procuring minors for prostitution. It references travel to Epstein's residences, including his private island in the US Virgin Islands, where Mountbatten Windsor has been accused of abusing minors. The letter also cites a 2011 email in which Mountbatten Windsor wrote to Epstein, 'we are in this together'.
Co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee, the letter requests a response by 20 November. However, Garcia does not have the power to subpoena the former prince, and Congress cannot compel testimony from a foreign national. In 2020, US authorities said Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to requests for an interview, with then-US attorney Geoffrey Berman stating he had 'provided zero cooperation'.
Garcia said in a statement that 'rich and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long' and that Mountbatten Windsor has an opportunity to come clean. Another signatory, Virginia Democrat Suhas Subramanyam, emphasised that if Mountbatten Windsor is innocent, he can clear his name, but if not, the investigation will show that and victims will receive justice. The letter coincided with King Charles III officially stripping Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title via a 'letters patent' published in the Gazette.
