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A American legislative body investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.

The written appeal to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

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

“The panel will examine allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s activities, associates, and associates based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any impropriety.

Content of the Request

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Remarks and Cooperation

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

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

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any appropriate 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 “offered zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Accountability

The representative said in a announcement that “rich and influential men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. We will not cease pushing for responsibility and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the current probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors suggest there is additional to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.