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A American legislative body investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.

The official demand to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and opted to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will examine claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s network, circle, and connections based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

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

Substance of the Letter

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal 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 bolsters our belief that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Remarks and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the committee. The citizens deserves to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the authority to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Justice

The lawmaker said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and deliver redress for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for answerability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is more to this story.”

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