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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, requesting that he submit to an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its probe.

The official demand to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The oversight committee will probe accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s activities, associates, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Substance of the Communication

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

It continued: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Previous Comments and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the panel. The public should be able to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the ability to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US requests for an interview. 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 earlier promise that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Demands for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a statement that “rich and influential men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and deliver redress for the affected individuals. The committee will not stop pushing for accountability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles suggest there is further to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.