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A American legislative committee probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document released on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its probe.

The written appeal to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to give up his property in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will examine allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s activities, associates, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any misconduct.

Details of the Request

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a answer by 20 November.

Previous Comments and Collaboration

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the panel. The citizens should be able to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the ability to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to check on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.

Demands for Accountability

The representative said in a statement that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and deliver justice for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for responsibility and transparency for victims of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the survivors will receive belated justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles show there is further to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.