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A US congressional body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.

The written appeal to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to give up his property in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details 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 information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Content of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a response by 20 November.

Previous Remarks and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The public has the right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to check on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.

Calls for Justice

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “affluent and influential men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and provide accountability for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not stop fighting for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

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

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the victims will receive belated accountability. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors suggest there is more to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.