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A American legislative committee probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter published on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its probe.

The formal request to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and agreed to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will investigate accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Letter

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

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Statements and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The citizens should be able to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the power to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not 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 contacted Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Justice

The representative said in a announcement that “wealthy and well-connected men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and deliver justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not cease fighting for answerability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles show there is more to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.