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A US congressional body looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication released on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother help with its investigation.

The formal request to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any misconduct.

Content of the Request

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

It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Comments and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the committee. The citizens has the right to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not have the power to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to check 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 followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.

Demands for Justice

The congressman said in a announcement that “wealthy and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and deliver redress for the victims. We will not stop advocating for answerability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the current investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his honors show there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.