Additional Coverage:
- Congressman Is ‘Extremely Interested’ In Talking to Prince Andrew About Jeffrey Epstein Scandal (usmagazine.com)
Congressman Lynch Seeks Prince Andrew’s Testimony in Epstein Probe
WASHINGTON D.C. – Massachusetts Congressman Stephen Lynch has publicly expressed a keen interest in hearing from Prince Andrew as the U.S. House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continues.
During an appearance on BBC’s Newsnight on Tuesday, October 21, Lynch, 70, stated, “We would be extremely interested in hearing from Prince Andrew regarding his involvement in all of this, yes.” He further indicated his belief that an invitation for the disgraced royal to appear before the committee is “sure” to be issued.
The congressman highlighted the committee’s ongoing efforts to gather survivor testimonies. “We’ve had an opportunity to interview a half dozen of the survivors,” Lynch noted, adding, “Each one of them has really had a bond with Virginia Giuffre, and I think these memoirs only strengthen that bond.” He emphasized that the “pain and anguish” experienced by the women who have come forward against Epstein will “increase our interest in speaking to everyone who was involved.”
While Prince Andrew, as a U.K. citizen, cannot be subpoenaed, he can be formally invited to provide testimony. The House Oversight Committee is actively reviewing the “Epstein Files,” which were released last month and detail Epstein’s criminal activities before his death by suicide in August 2019 at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York.
Prince Andrew’s association with Epstein gained significant public attention in 2019 following allegations of sexual assault made by the late Virginia Giuffre, claims which Andrew has consistently denied. Giuffre’s posthumously released memoir, Nobody’s Girl, published on Tuesday, details three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew when she was 17 and 18, including a purported “orgy” with Epstein and other women.
Further developing the narrative, People reported on Monday, October 20, that Andrew is also under scrutiny for allegedly requesting information on Giuffre from his security detail in 2011. Buckingham Palace reportedly stated that these allegations against the former Duke of York will be “examined in the appropriate way” and that all claims are being treated with “very great concern.”
In a significant development, Prince Andrew announced on Friday, October 17, his decision to relinquish his royal title amidst intense public scrutiny over his connection to Epstein. In a statement to Us Weekly, Andrew said, “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.”
He added, “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”
Andrew initially stepped back from public duties after Giuffre’s allegations first surfaced. Giuffre subsequently filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Andrew in 2021, which was settled out of court the following year. Giuffre passed away by suicide this past April at the age of 41.
Andrew’s statement concluded, “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”