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A American legislative panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its investigation.

The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and opted to vacate his property in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents 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 sexual assault.

“The committee will investigate accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Comments and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens deserves to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the authority to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.

Demands for Justice

The congressman said in a comment that “rich and well-connected men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and deliver justice for the survivors. We will not stop fighting for accountability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the ongoing probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles suggest there is more to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.