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A American legislative committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter released on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.

The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and consented to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any misconduct.

Substance of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you went 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 charged of assaulting underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have valuable information 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 reply by 20 November.

Past Statements and Cooperation

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

However, the lawmaker does not hold the authority to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”.

Appeals for Transparency

The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide accountability for the affected individuals. The committee will not stop advocating for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing probe. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles suggest there is more to this case.”

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