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A American legislative committee investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter released on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The official demand to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and agreed to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

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

“The committee will examine claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Content of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you went 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 charged of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Earlier Remarks and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the panel. The public has the right to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the ability to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials 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 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”.

Calls for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and secure justice for the survivors. We will not cease pushing for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles show there is further to this story.”

The letter came on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.