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A American legislative committee probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its probe.

The written appeal to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and opted to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and travel logs secured 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 sexual assault.

“The panel will examine claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, associates, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein started 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 continued: “It has also been alleged that you went 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 charged of harming underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Earlier Statements and Collaboration

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

However, the lawmaker does not possess the authority to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond 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 check on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Justice

The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and influential men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure justice for the survivors. We will not halt advocating for responsibility and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed accountability. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles suggest there is additional 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 adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.