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A American legislative committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.

The formal request to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will probe claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Details of the Communication

“It has been widely reported that your friendship 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 continued: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 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 crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Comments 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 citizens deserves to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the power to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to check on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Justice

The representative said in a comment that “affluent and powerful men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure justice for the affected individuals. We will not stop advocating for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together 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 show that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed redress. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is further to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.