Democratic members of Congress intensified calls on 10 February 2026 for Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor to answer questions in Washington about his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Representative Ro Khanna said the Royal Family had “not been transparent”, while House Oversight member Teresa Leger Fernández urged the King to direct his brother to engage with the committee. A day earlier, Buckingham Palace said it stood ready to support Thames Valley Police if approached. Andrew denies wrongdoing and in 2022 settled Virginia Giuffre’s US civil claim without admitting liability. (nz.news.yahoo.com)
Formal efforts to secure evidence long pre‑date this week’s rhetoric. Justice Department correspondence and case files show prosecutors sought an interview with Andrew in 2020 through counsel and via mutual legal assistance routes; the House Oversight Committee later set a 20 November 2025 deadline for a transcribed interview that drew no response. (washingtonpost.com)
Congressional powers are constrained across borders. US courts can compel testimony from US nationals abroad under 28 U.S.C. §1783, but there is ordinarily no authority to subpoena foreign nationals outside US territory. Committees therefore cannot force Andrew to attend hearings while he remains in the UK. For criminal matters, prosecutors instead use the US–UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), under which UK authorities can take evidence-compelled if necessary-according to UK law. MLAT mechanisms are not open to congressional committees conducting oversight. (law.cornell.edu)
UK policing is proceeding on a separate track. On 9 February 2026, Thames Valley Police confirmed it is assessing a report from the campaign group Republic alleging Andrew shared confidential trade‑envoy material with Epstein in 2010–2011. Government guidance states trade envoys owe a continuing duty of confidentiality, with the Official Secrets Acts 1911 and 1989 applicable; the force has said only that an assessment is under way. (itv.com)
Disclosure has accelerated pressure. On 30 January 2026 the US Department of Justice released roughly 3.5 million pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and subsequently allowed members of Congress to review unredacted material by appointment. The files include undated images apparently showing Andrew on all fours over a clothed woman, and 2010 emails indicating contact after Epstein’s 2008 conviction; Andrew has not commented on the photographs. (justice.gov)
Giuffre’s family have renewed their appeals. On 10 February, Sky Roberts said Andrew should “show up” before Congress; Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer agreed. Giuffre died in April 2025, but her relatives remain active in advocacy linked to new legislative proposals. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
Oversight pressure has also broadened into policy. Khanna, a co‑sponsor of the transparency law, has argued the Royal Family should “come clean” and consider compensation for survivors, and has warned of heightened institutional vulnerability. Buckingham Palace has reiterated the King’s “profound concern” and that any specific allegations are for Andrew to address. (thedailybeast.com)
Constitutionally, the monarch cannot decide police outcomes. The Policing Protocol Order 2023 affirms the operational independence of chief constables; decisions to progress from an initial “assessment” to a criminal investigation, and any referral to the Crown Prosecution Service, rest with the police and prosecutors. (gov.uk)
Andrew’s personal position has shifted. He has moved out of Royal Lodge in Windsor and relocated to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk-reportedly at Wood Farm pending renovations to a permanent home-following the formal removal of his prince title and HRH style by letters patent in November 2025. (washingtonpost.com)
What happens next is procedural. If US prosecutors seek assistance, an MLA request could see evidence taken on UK soil under UK rules. If Congress wants testimony, it must rely on voluntary cooperation or any future US travel that could permit lawful service. For the UK, the outcome of Thames Valley Police’s assessment will determine whether a full criminal investigation follows. (congress.gov)