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A American legislative committee investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.

The formal request to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and opted to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will investigate allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s network, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Details of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a response by 20 November.

Previous Remarks and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the panel. The public should be able to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.

Appeals for Accountability

The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and influential men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure redress for the affected individuals. The committee will not halt pushing for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the active investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his titles show there is more to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.