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A US congressional body investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.

The written appeal to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s operations, associates, and connections based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Content of the Request

“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been reported that you traveled 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 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 suspicion that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Previous Statements and Cooperation

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

However, the congressman does not have the power to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Justice

The lawmaker said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and deliver justice for the victims. We will not cease advocating for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the ongoing 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 victims will receive long overdue accountability. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his styles indicate there is further to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.