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A US congressional committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.

The written appeal to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and consented to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

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

“The panel will investigate claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s operations, network, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any misconduct.

Details of the Letter

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting 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 supports our suspicion that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and asks a reply by 20 November.

Past Statements and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the oversight committee. The people has the right to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the power to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.

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 prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.

Demands for Transparency

The congressman said in a statement that “affluent and well-connected men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure accountability for the victims. The committee will not stop fighting for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles suggest there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.