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A US congressional body investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its investigation.

The written appeal to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and consented to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s operations, network, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

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

Details of the Communication

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Statements and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the ability to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “wealthy and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and provide justice for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not stop fighting for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors suggest there is further to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.