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A American legislative committee looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication released on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its probe.

The official demand to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and agreed to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The oversight committee will examine accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s operations, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any impropriety.

Details of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing young girls. This close relationship 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 concern that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.

Previous Comments and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the committee. The citizens has the right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the power to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to check on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Accountability

The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and well-connected men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and provide accountability for the affected individuals. We will not halt pushing for accountability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the ongoing probe. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the survivors will receive long overdue accountability. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles suggest there is further to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.