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

In a letter released on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its investigation.

The formal request to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to vacate his property in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will investigate allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s activities, circle, and associates based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any impropriety.

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 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange 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 co-conspirators.”

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

Previous Statements and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the panel. The public should be able to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the authority to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to check on his public commitment 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 public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The representative said in a announcement that “rich and powerful men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not halt fighting for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing investigation. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the survivors will receive belated redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is more to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.