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A US congressional panel looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its probe.

The written appeal to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and opted to vacate his property in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The oversight committee will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s network, circle, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Details of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls 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 home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Previous Statements and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the panel. The citizens should be able to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not have the power to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a foreign national.

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

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Demands for Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “rich and well-connected men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and provide justice for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not stop advocating for responsibility and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the active probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his styles suggest there is more to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.