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A US congressional committee probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

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

The formal request to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and opted to give up his property in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs obtained 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 misconduct.

“The committee will probe accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s activities, associates, and connections based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Content of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming underage individuals. 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 bolsters our suspicion that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a answer by 20 November.

Earlier Remarks and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the committee. The public should be able to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the power to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a foreign national.

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

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

Demands for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver accountability for the victims. We will not stop pushing for responsibility and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of released files, “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 show that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed accountability. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.