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A American legislative committee looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

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

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and consented to vacate his property in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public 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 allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s operations, circle, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought 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 strongly denied any misconduct.

Substance of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence 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 notification regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.

Past Statements and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The citizens should be able to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Accountability

The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure justice for the survivors. The committee will not halt advocating for answerability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles show there is further to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.