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A American legislative committee looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication released on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its probe.

The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to surrender his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s network, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief 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 requests a reply by 20 November.

Past Remarks and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens deserves to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to check on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any relevant 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 “given zero cooperation”.

Demands for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a comment that “rich and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and provide redress for the survivors. The committee will not halt pushing for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the active probe. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the survivors will receive belated redress. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is further to this case.”

The letter came on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – 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.