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A American legislative committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication released on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.

The official demand to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and opted to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The committee will investigate allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have key insights about the offenses 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 requests a reply by 20 November.

Previous Remarks and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to testify before the panel. The people deserves to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the power to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed 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 reached out to Andrew’s legal team to check on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant 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 “offered absolutely no cooperation”.

Demands for Justice

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure accountability for the victims. The committee will not cease fighting for accountability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is more to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.