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A American legislative body investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a letter made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its probe.

The official demand to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and opted to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The committee will investigate accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Details of the Letter

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “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 personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.

Previous Comments and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the oversight committee. The citizens should be able to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered absolutely no cooperation”.

Calls for Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “wealthy and powerful men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and provide justice for the victims. We will not cease advocating for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the current investigation. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue accountability. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.