The former Duke of York has been summoned by US congressmen to give evidence about his relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Photo / Getty Images
The former Duke of York has been summoned by US congressmen to give evidence about his relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Photo / Getty Images
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should testify to the US Congress over his links to Jeffrey Epstein, the UK PM, Sir Keir Starmer, has suggested.
The King’s brother has been summoned by congressmen to give evidence about his relationship with the paedophile financier, before the publication of the “Epstein files”.
Starmer haslargely avoided commenting on Mountbatten-Windsor’s involvement with Epstein, following protocol that the Government does not criticise the royal family.
But following Mountbatten-Windsor’s decision to renounce his remaining titles last month, the Prime Minister suggested that he should now go public with his knowledge of Epstein’s contacts and behaviour.
Asked by reporters travelling with him at the G20 summit in Johannesburg whether Mountbatten-Windsor should appear, Starmer said he would not comment on his “particular case” and “in the end, that will be a decision for him”.
But he added: “My general position is, if you have relevant information, you should be prepared to share it.”
Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre, who accused Andrew of rape and sexual assault. Photo / AFP
The congressional committee investigating Epstein does not have the power to compel foreign witnesses to appear, and has so far been ignored by Mountbatten-Windsor, who missed a deadline to respond to his official summons last week.
The House Oversight Committee requested that he sit for a “transcribed interview” about his relationship with Epstein, as part of a congressional attempt to reveal more of Epstein’s contacts.
He was told in a letter: “Allegations against you, along with your long-standing friendship with Mr Epstein, indicate that you may possess knowledge of his activities.”
Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat who sits on the committee, said Mountbatten-Windsor “has been hiding from us, and I think he will continue to try to hide from people doing meaningful investigations of this matter”.
This week, Donald Trump signed a bill that will force the Justice Department to release a cache of Epstein’s emails within 30 days, with some exemptions.
The US President had previously resisted publishing the emails, which could include further evidence of his own association with the disgraced financier, calling the push for release a Democrat-led “hoax” to “deflect” attention away from his work.
But he changed his mind after significant pushback from congressional Republicans and Epstein victims.
On signing the bill, which passed with just one objection, he wrote: “Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!”
Speaking about Mountbatten-Windsor’s potential involvement in the congressional investigation, Starmer added: “A general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it.”
The Labour Government last month rejected calls for a debate on whether to strip Mountbatten-Windsor of his remaining title, the dukedom of York, which can only be removed by Parliament.
A Downing Street spokesman said at the time: “We know that the royal family would not want to take time from other important issues.”
Mountbatten-Windsor’s association with Epstein, which included visits to his private island, Little St James, has plagued him for more than five years.
He paid an out-of-court settlement to Virginia Giuffre in 2022 after she accused him of sexual assault and rape, without admitting wrongdoing. Giuffre died by suicide in April.
He stood down from all royal duties in 2019 and renounced his remaining titles last month, with the agreement of the King, amid concern from Buckingham Palace that his personal life was distracting from the work of the monarchy.
In a statement released at the time, Mountbatten-Windsor said he would “no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me”, adding: “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.
