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A American legislative body investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking 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 panel, requested that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its probe.

The official demand to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Files 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 charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s operations, associates, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Details of the Request

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

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 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 wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Previous Statements and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to testify 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 ability to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Justice

The congressman said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and deliver redress for the survivors. We will not halt pushing for accountability and clarity for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the active inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed 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 released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.