Today, 20 November, marks the deadline for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to answer a formal request from the United States Congress.
Earlier this month, on 6 November, the House Oversight Committee sent a letter signed by 16 members of Congress asking the former Duke of York to take part in a transcribed interview regarding his ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein died by suicide at 66 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
Claims That Andrew Is “Hiding” From Congress
Since the letter was issued, committee member Suhas Subramanyam has publicly accused Andrew of avoiding the inquiry. Speaking to The Guardian, he said the royal “has been hiding from us, and I think he will continue to try to hide from people doing meaningful investigations of this matter.”
He added: “It seems like every time we find more evidence, Prince Andrew seems to be in the documents. And so I think if he is hoping that the story will just go away by ignoring us and being silent, he will be sorely disappointed, as we continue to pursue this over the next year and beyond.”
Why Congress Wants His Testimony
The Oversight Committee’s investigation focuses on Epstein and the government’s handling of his case. In its letter, the committee said it had identified “financial records containing notations such as ‘massage for Andrew’ that raise serious questions.” Members want Andrew to clarify what he knew about Epstein’s activities and relationships.
Andrew has consistently denied all wrongdoing.
He previously agreed to stop using his HRH style and royal titles, though he had expected to retain his dukedom. Pressure intensified again after the release of the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre—who died by suicide in April—in which she alleged he sexually assaulted her as a teenager, an accusation he denies.
Political Momentum to Release Epstein Files
Today’s deadline arrives just as US President Donald Trump urged House Republicans to vote in favour of releasing the Epstein files—an abrupt reversal from his earlier stance. On 15 November, he posted on Truth Social: “We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party.”
On 18 November, both the House of Representatives and the Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill requiring the Justice Department to publicly release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative material” related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. The House passed the bill 427–1, with Republican Clay Higgins casting the lone “no” vote.
Trump has now signed the measure into law.
What Happens Next
Under the legislation, the Justice Department must disclose all relevant files—including materials related to the investigation into Epstein’s death in federal custody—within 30 days. That places the expected release around 19 December at the latest, though documents could be made public sooner.
As the deadline for Andrew’s response lands on the same day, pressure on the former royal continues to grow—both from Congress and from a political landscape now suddenly aligned on releasing every remaining Epstein-related record.
