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A US congressional panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother help with its inquiry.

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

Files and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will investigate claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s operations, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Details of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged 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 underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Previous Remarks and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the panel. The people should be able to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Accountability

The representative said in a statement that “rich and influential men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and secure redress for the victims. The committee will not halt advocating for answerability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the current probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the survivors will receive long overdue justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors show there is more to this situation.”

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