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A American legislative body looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its investigation.

The official demand to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The committee will examine accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s operations, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Details of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed 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 alleged of harming young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have valuable information 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 reply by 20 November.

Earlier Remarks and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to testify before the committee. The public should be able to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the authority to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to check on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable 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 “given no cooperation”.

Demands for Accountability

The representative said in a announcement that “rich and powerful men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and provide justice for the affected individuals. We will not halt advocating for answerability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the ongoing inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors suggest there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.