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A American legislative panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother help with its investigation.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

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

“The oversight committee will examine claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s network, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any misconduct.

Details of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.

Past Comments and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the panel. The people deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not possess the ability to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply 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 lawyers to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Justice

The congressman said in a statement that “rich and influential men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide justice for the victims. We will not cease pushing for responsibility and clarity for victims of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive long overdue accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his titles indicate there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.