Former Prince Andrew’s Arrest Marks Transparency Milestone in Epstein File Release

On Thursday, Rep. Nancy Mace praised the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, crediting House Republicans for compelling the release of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“If you’re watching a former prince get arrested today, remember — four Republicans refused to flinch, refused to fold, and forced the Epstein files into the light,” the South Carolina Republican, who is a candidate in her state’s gubernatorial race, said in a statement. “Courage has consequences. So does corruption. The powerful spent years believing they were untouchable,” she added. “Today, the world is watching them learn otherwise.”

Mace, along with Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), and then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), joined all House Democrats last year in backing a discharge petition to force a vote on legislation requiring the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.

President Donald Trump initially opposed the effort before reversing course and urging House Republicans to support the measure, dubbed the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The legislation passed the House 427-1 and was unanimously approved by the Senate, then signed by Trump in November.

Mace had called for Mountbatten-Windsor to be “prosecuted for any and all potential crimes committed on U.S. soil” in September.

King Charles III stripped his brother of his royal titles in October amid the Epstein controversy.

Massie stated that the arrest met the benchmark he set when pushing for the files’ release: “Prince Andrew was just arrested. This was the metric I established for success of the Epstein Files Transparency Act that [Rep. Ro Khanna] and I got passed. Now we need JUSTICE in the United States. It’s time for [Attorney General Pam Bondi] and [FBI Director Kash Patel] to act!”

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) noted the limits of congressional authority regarding foreign nationals: “We’re pretty much limited to the United States,” he said last year when asked about individuals like Mountbatten-Windsor. “We’re interested in that as well, but … we don’t have authority over foreign countries.”

Comer stated in a Thursday statement: “There must be accountability for anyone who was involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s horrific crimes. The Justice Department’s transparency is ensuring that no one is above the law, even British royalty.”

The files released by the Justice Department show Epstein corresponded with high-profile American figures, including former President Bill Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, commentator Steve Bannon, and former Barack Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler.

Both Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton are scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee at the end of the month. They have both stated they had no knowledge of Epstein’s wrongdoing and were not accused of any crimes related to him.

Lutnick has denied wrongdoing, saying he had only passing interactions with Epstein, including a lunch with his family on Epstein’s island.

Ruemmler has described her relationship with Epstein as professional and denied wrongdoing.

Bannon described the communications: “That’s the only lens through which these private communications should be viewed — a documentary filmmaker working, over a period of time, to secure 50 hours of interviews from a reclusive subject.”

Trump’s name appears thousands of times in the Epstein files, though there is no evidence he visited Epstein’s island or participated in wrongdoing. He has denied wrongdoing and stated he cut contact with Epstein years ago.

The president has called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Democrats he alleges were closer to Epstein.