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A American legislative panel investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.

The formal request to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to give up his property in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and aviation records obtained 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 oversight committee will probe allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s operations, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Content of the Letter

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

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have important details 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 asks a answer by 20 November.

Past Statements and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to appear before the oversight committee. The public has the right to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the authority to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials 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 authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to check 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 fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Calls for Accountability

The congressman said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and deliver redress for the victims. We will not stop advocating for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors 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 adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.