Pressure builds on Andrew to give evidence before US committee about Epstein

Pressure is building on Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to give evidence before a powerful US Congressional committee about his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The King stripped his younger brother of his prince and Duke of York titles on Thursday night and a statement from Buckingham Palace stressed both his and Camilla’s thoughts were with victims of abuse.

Members of the House Oversight Committee have since called for the former prince to reveal about what he knew about the actions of the convicted sex trafficker.

Andrew strenuously denies any wrongdoing.

Democrat Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi told BBC Newsnight that he wants Andrew to give evidence before Congress, saying: “I would go so far as to subpoena him.”

He added: “Now, enforcing the subpoenas is not easy for somebody who’s on foreign soil.

“However, if Andrew wishes to come to the United States or he’s here, then he’s subject to the jurisdiction of the US Congress, and I would expect him to testify.”

He delivered a message to Andrew: “Come clean. Come before the US Congress, voluntarily testify. Don’t wait for a subpoena. Come and testify and tell us what you know.

“At the end of the day, we want to know exactly what happened, not just to give justice to the survivors, but to prevent this from ever happening again.”

Congressman Suhas Subramanyam told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday: “I would like for him to come to our committee and tell us everything he knows about Jeffrey Epstein and the crimes that were committed.

“I think this would be a great way for Andrew to clear his name, it would be great way for us to continue our pursuit of justice for the victims, and frankly, Andrew’s name has come up many times from the victims, and so he clearly has knowledge of what happened, and we just want him to come forward and tell us what he knows.”

A lawyer representing some of the victims of Epstein, Spencer Kuvin, also called for Andrew to testify.

He told BBC News: “We need to hear his story and hear what he is saying about what occurred, but also he could testify about other potential co conspirators that he saw that may have been present at the mansions here in the States that were doing inappropriate activities.

“So on both fronts, both on behalf of other victims, but potentially on behalf of himself, we would like Andrew to come here and testify.”

He added of the removal of Andrew’s titles: “The victims are very glad that the crown is taking this action, that the King has recognised the seriousness of this situation, and his statement the other day was appreciated by the victims.”

A spokesperson for the Met Police said it was made aware of allegations around non-recent trafficking for sexual exploitation in 2015 which “related to events outside the UK and an allegation of trafficking to central London in March 2001”.

They added that following the legal advice, “it was clear that any investigation into human trafficking would be largely focused on activities and relationships outside the UK”, so officers concluded that “other jurisdictions and organisations were better placed to pursue the specific allegations”.

And in November 2016, a decision was made that this matter would not proceed to a full criminal investigation, the force said.

Meanwhile, the eyes of the world continue to be fixed on Royal Lodge after the news Andrew is finally quitting the 30-room home in Windsor for private accommodation on the King’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

On Saturday morning a car bearing a private numberplate linked to the former prince was seen leaving the grounds of Windsor Great Park.

It has been claimed Andrew is set to get a six-figure payout and an annual payment as part of his “relocation settlement” after being forced out of Royal Lodge.

The former prince will receive the one-off payment to cover his move, followed by the regular stipend to prevent him from “overspending in his new life as a commoner”, The Guardian newspaper reported.

The yearly payment privately funded by the King would be worth several times his £20,000-a-year Navy pension, the paper added.

It is understood the King will use private funds to cover the cost, but not his Duchy of Lancaster income.

The King receives an annual private income of more than £27 million from the duchy, an ancient portfolio of land, property and assets which is held in trust for the sovereign.

Andrew will, however, be denied most of his half a million pound compensation for giving up his lease on Royal Lodge.

He was due a payout of £558,000 from the Crown Estate after agreeing to leave the mansion, but a royal source told The Telegraph there is “a lot of work that needs doing” with the cost of repairs affecting the amount.

The decision to strip Andrew of his honours and titles is said to have been influenced by the Queen’s concerns about his impact on her work with sex abuse victims.

According to The Telegraph, Camilla was appalled by Andrew’s association with paedophile financier Epstein and felt the ongoing row was getting in the way of her public duties.

The Queen has supported survivors of sex attacks and domestic abuse for years and it was recently revealed in a new book that she herself fought off a man who groped her on a train when she was a teenager.

The Times reported Andrew agreed to leave Windsor after his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson made it clear that she would be leaving the property.

She will not be moving to Sandringham and will have to find her own property to live in.

Earlier in October, it was announced Andrew had agreed to stop using his titles but would remain a prince and retain his dukedom ahead of the publication of the memoirs of the late Virginia Giuffre, who had accused the former duke of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager, which he denies.

Damaging newspaper allegations including that Andrew tried to get the Metropolitan Police to dig up dirt for a smear campaign against Ms Giuffre had showed little sign of abating.

The force previously said it was looking into the reports after The Mail On Sunday newspaper claimed Andrew passed Ms Giuffre’s date of birth and social security number to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard in 2011 and asked him to investigate.

The Public Accounts Committee has written to the Crown Estate, effectively Andrew’s landlord, and the Treasury raising concerns over value for money about Andrew’s lease – details of which led to a public outcry when it emerged he was paying a “peppercorn” rent.

Andrew’s name has already been struck from the official roll of the peerage which means his Duke of York title will no longer be used officially.

In the next few days, the King is expected to send to the Lord Chancellor David Lammy the royal warrant, affecting the dukedom, and letters patent which will formally remove Andrew’s entitlement to use the title prince and HRH style.

The former duke had a “cast-iron” lease for his Royal Lodge home and only after negotiations with the King’s representatives did he agree to serve formal notice on Thursday to surrender the lease, which had more than 50 years left to run.