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A American legislative panel investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s brother assist with its probe.

The formal request to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and opted to vacate his property in Windsor.

Records and Claims

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

“The committee will examine accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s operations, circle, and associates based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Substance of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Statements and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the oversight committee. The people should be able to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the authority to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “affluent and powerful men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure justice for the affected individuals. The committee will not stop pushing for answerability and clarity for victims of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is more to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.