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A American legislative committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.

The written appeal to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The panel will investigate claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s operations, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Substance of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have important details about the offenses 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 response by 20 November.

Previous Comments and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the ability to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to check on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given zero cooperation”.

Calls for Accountability

The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and influential men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and deliver redress for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not cease fighting for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

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 works together with the current investigation. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed justice. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles show there is further to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.