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A American legislative panel looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

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

The written appeal to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to give up his property in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The committee will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s operations, network, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Details 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 conviction for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Comments and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The citizens has the right to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the ability to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to check on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Transparency

The congressman said in a announcement that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and provide justice for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not halt fighting for responsibility and openness for survivors of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive much-delayed redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors show there is further to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.