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The former Duke of York has largely withdrawn from public life
A US Republican congressman has accused Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of "committing sex crimes in the US" during a speech delivered on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Thomas Massie named the former Duke of York while calling for those in Jeffrey Epstein's circle to face investigation and prosecution.
"And Prince Andrew, who committed sex crimes in the US," Mr Massie alleged.
The Kentucky representative also named former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley and illusionist David Copperfield. During a closed-door congressional interview released via House Oversight Committee Transcripts, Mr Staley claimed he "had no real friendship with Epstein". Also, following his mention in unsealed court documents and subsequent investigative reports, Mr Copperfield’s legal team stated that he "was not a friend of Jeffrey Epstein" and that reports claiming a close relationship were a media misrepresentation.
Mr Massie's roughly minute-long address was part of his campaign to compel Donald Trump's administration to publish a further three million Epstein-related documents.
"Perhaps hearing these names will shame the Department of Justice into delivering justice," he said.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently and strongly denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
The late Virginia Giuffre, herself a victim of Epstein, accused him of having sex with her in 2001 when she was just 17 years old. The matter was resolved through an out-of-court settlement in 2022, and the former prince made no admission of guilt or liability.
The resolution included a substantial financial payout and a donation to Mrs Giuffre’s charity supporting victims of abuse.
Separately, Thames Valley police arrested Mr Mountbatten-Windsor in February on suspicion of misconduct in a public office. He was released on investigation that same evening, and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
An equivalent tranche of roughly three million files has already been made public under legislation passed by Congress last November.
The initial batch of documents, released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, contained email exchanges between the convicted paedophile and Mr Mountbatten-Windsor.
Being mentioned in the Epstein files is in itself not an indication of misconduct.
Mr Massie is now seeking to push through fresh legislation that would compel the release of all remaining Epstein material in the US Government's possession.
The proposed act would also grant victims the right to access complete, unredacted copies of any records about them.
The congressman has repeatedly found himself at odds with President Trump over the Department of Justice's reluctance to publish everything it holds on the late financier, despite both men belonging to the same party.
Those tensions carried a political cost. The president threw his support behind a rival candidate, Ed Gallrein, who defeated Mr Massie in this year's Republican primary.
His loss at the ballot box means the congressman will vacate his seat in January following the midterm elections.
