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A American legislative committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its inquiry.

The written appeal to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and agreed to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will probe claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, circle, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Remarks and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the oversight committee. The people deserves to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure redress for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not cease advocating for answerability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the current probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this case.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.