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A American legislative committee probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its probe.

The official demand to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

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

“The oversight committee will investigate allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, associates, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 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 crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Past Statements and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the panel. The public should be able to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not possess the authority to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Transparency

The congressman said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and provide redress for the survivors. We will not cease pushing for responsibility and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the current probe. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.