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A US congressional committee probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its inquiry.

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

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The committee will examine claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and associates based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any misconduct.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings 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 demands a answer by 20 November.

Past Comments and Collaboration

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

However, the congressman does not possess the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to check on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Justice

The congressman said in a comment that “wealthy and well-connected men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and secure redress for the survivors. The committee will not cease fighting for answerability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue accountability. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is additional to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.