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A US congressional committee investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document published on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its investigation.

The official demand to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and opted to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The panel will investigate allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and associates based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any misconduct.

Content of the Letter

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

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Remarks and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the committee. The citizens deserves 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 testimony from a overseas individual.

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 lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given zero cooperation”.

Calls for Accountability

The congressman said in a comment that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and provide accountability for the victims. The committee will not cease advocating for responsibility and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the active inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his styles show there is additional to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.