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A American legislative panel probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The written appeal to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to vacate his property in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

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

“The committee will examine allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s activities, associates, and connections based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Details of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.

Earlier Comments and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the oversight committee. The public should be able to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the power to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire 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 pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.

Calls for Justice

The lawmaker said in a comment that “rich and influential men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and provide justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not halt fighting for responsibility and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.