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A American legislative committee looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter published on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.

The formal request to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and agreed to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

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

“The oversight committee will examine accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any impropriety.

Content of the Letter

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

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Past Remarks and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the panel. The people deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the ability to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Justice

The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and influential men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and deliver redress for the survivors. We will not stop advocating for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed redress. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles suggest there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially 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 government journal.