Pressure is mounting on former Prince Andrew to give evidence to a US congressional committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after Britain’s Prime Minister suggested he should testify.
Speaking to reporters en route to the Group of 20 Summit in Johannesburg, Keir Starmer avoided direct commentary on King Charles III’s disgraced younger brother but emphasised a long-held principle: individuals with relevant information should cooperate with investigators.
“I don’t comment on his particular case,” Starmer said. “But as 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.”
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, has so far ignored a request from members of the US House Oversight Committee for a “transcribed interview” concerning his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein. He was stripped of his royal titles and honors last month as the royal family sought to shield itself from the backlash surrounding his association with the disgraced financier.
Starmer’s remarks follow sharp criticism from Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the committee’s ranking Democrat, and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia, who accused Andrew of continuing to evade accountability.
“Andrew continues to hide from serious questions,” they said in a joint statement on Friday. “Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status or political party. We will get justice for the survivors.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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