Ex-Prince Andrew ignores US Epstein probe requests as experts warn of 'ghastly' optics for royal family
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been dodging the House Oversight Committee as members of the US committee have been urgently trying to speak with him about his connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
Oversight Committee member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) told CBS News’ "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the department has sent ex-Prince Andrew letters, wishing to speak to him.
"We have not. And we absolutely have sent letters. We want to actually talk to Prince Andrew. What’s happening now over in the UK is pretty stunning, and it’s actually a show of what happens when the government listens to the public," Garcia said. "There are actually things happening to those that have been involved."
Hilary Fordwich, British royals expert, told Fox News Digital that Andrew's choice to ignore the United States may be an act of "delusion," wishing away his Epstein connection.
"He erroneously must be under the delusion that his silence & evasion will make this go away," she began.
"It’s not going to recede, but given how disastrous his NewsNight interview was he’s obviously either afraid of being questioned and or knows it will result in even more revolting revelations. Probably, therefore, any testimony is more likely to be in a written testimony as this stasis can’t continue. Either way he’s in a lose lose situation as his silence is feeding the media frenzy."
Fordwich said the optics of Andrew not being compliant is "ghastly" not only for himself, but members of the royal family.
"The optics & facts of all of this are ghastly either way for him & for the monarchy. Hence all the distance that has been created between him & the rest of the family. They have been forthright in stating there will be full cooperation with the UK police," she said.
According to Fordwich, Prince William is "exasperated" with his Uncle for not cooperating with the Epstein investigation.
"Prince William, whose priority is preservation of the monarchy, is adamant regarding isolating his revolting uncle and won’t shield him from any fallout, remaining per his resent statement ‘focused on the victims’. He is exasperated that his uncle is refusing to cooperate or indeed to even answer US officials who wasn’t a transcribed interview," she said.
Fordwich doesn't believe a citizen of the UK can be compelled to speak to members of the US government, but noted that a former subpoena would be more compelling.
"Being now a UK private citizen residing outside the US I don’t believe he can easily be compelled, but a formal subpoena could be issued. Such pressure of both legal demands & those from the victims & their respective families are more than likely given the penchant for spectacle by US lawmakers," she said.
According to the New York Post, Garcia formally requested testimony from Andrew in 2025.
Ian Pelham Turner, a Royal expert, believes Andrew is staying silent to keep the public waiting on what he'll do next.
"The Royal family will know he knows the family skeletons and if allegedly he is short of money or so angry at what has happened to him he could venture into a kiss and tell book which could bring a new fortune to him globally," Turner said.
He continued, "Thus, it makes sense not to divulge any salacious material right now. Now, he has seen how successful his nephew Harry’s book Spare created a phenomenon and may choose to walk the same path as in reality what does he have to lose."
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Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal expert, told Fox News Digital that Andrew never intended to help US lawmakers in their Epstein case.
"Andrew always promised to aid US lawmakers but clearly never intended to. The problem is, despite the Prime Minister’s recent urging, he cannot be forced to," Fitzwilliams said. "It remains the supreme irony that the only person to be guilty and behind bars in this grotesque monument to the evils of the global patriarchy is Ghislaine Maxwell, who was Epstein's fixer."
According to Fitzwilliams, Andrew's best option is to move to the Middle East.
"I have no idea who is advising Andrew but with the police assessing two cases he should be considering exile in the Middle East. What most people rightly feel is that he should get a visit from the police and the bizarre series of circumstances which the Epstein Files have brought to light should be investigated fully, with the full co-operation of the Palace," he explained.
Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital that Congress may choose to hold him in contempt, but without formal criminal charges, Andrew may be able to "run out the clock."
"In the court of public opinion, Andrew self-incriminated a long time ago. It remains to be seen if those allegations and assumptions ever matriculate to formal charges in an American court of law," Aldridge said.
Eldridge used Andrew's infamous BBC interview, and the fallout afterward, as an example of what he may be considering when it comes to speaking out on his latest Epstein connections.
"At this point, his only public statements should be under Congressional subpoena or threats of extradition by federal courts in the United States. Even then, he’ll likely back-channel a diplomatic deferral," Eldridge said.
In 2019, Andrew stepped back as a senior royal following a disastrous BBC interview in which he tried to address his ties to the late convicted sex offender. Over a decade ago, Virginia Giuffre accused Ghislaine Maxwell of trafficking her to Andrew. Guiffre died by suicide in April 2025.
King Charles stripped Andrew of his remaining royal titles and honors in late 2025 amid renewed scrutiny over his Epstein connection.
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On Jan. 30, the Department of Justice released more than 3 million pages of records related to Epstein, including personal emails. The former Duke and Duchess of York appeared in the newly released email exchanges and photos. Three images reportedly showed Andrew on all fours above an unidentified woman on the ground.
Inclusion in the files does not necessarily imply wrongdoing.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace previously told Fox News Digital they don’t answer for Andrew as he’s no longer a working royal. Fox News Digital reached out to Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) for further comment.