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A US congressional body looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document published on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its probe.

The formal request to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will probe claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s activities, associates, and connections based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any misconduct.

Content of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your association 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 stated further: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication 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 accomplices.”

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

Previous Comments and Collaboration

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

However, the lawmaker does not have the power to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his public commitment that he was “ready 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 “given no cooperation”.

Appeals for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and secure justice for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not halt pushing for responsibility and clarity for victims of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the active investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this case.”

The letter came on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.