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A American legislative body looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its probe.

The written appeal to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and opted to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will examine allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s activities, network, and connections based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Details of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.

Earlier Statements and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The people should be able to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not have the ability to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials 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 approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Justice

The lawmaker said in a comment that “affluent and influential men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and secure justice for the survivors. We will not halt advocating for answerability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive much-delayed redress. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles suggest there is further to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. 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 official public record.