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A American legislative committee investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.

The official demand to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

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

“The panel will examine accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s activities, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you traveled 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 alleged of harming minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Statements and Cooperation

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

However, the congressman does not hold the authority to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to check on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Justice

The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and provide justice for the affected individuals. The committee will not halt fighting for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing investigation. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors show there is additional to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.