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A American legislative body investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter released on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its probe.

The formal request to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and consented to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs subpoenaed 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 sexual assault.

“The oversight committee will probe allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s operations, circle, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any impropriety.

Details of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you journeyed 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 assaulting minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a reply by 20 November.

Earlier Comments and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the panel. The public deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the power to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials 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 contacted Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Justice

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “affluent and influential men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and provide justice for the affected individuals. The committee will not cease pushing for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the active inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the survivors will receive belated redress. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his titles show there is further to this case.”

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