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A US congressional panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother help with its inquiry.

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

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The committee will investigate claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you went 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 harming underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Remarks and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The citizens has the right to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the power to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Transparency

The congressman said in a comment that “rich and influential men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver accountability for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not cease fighting for accountability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the ongoing investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors show there is additional to this situation.”

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