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A American legislative panel investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter released on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling help with its investigation.

The written appeal to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The panel will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

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

Substance of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have important details about the offenses 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 response by 20 November.

Earlier Comments and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the panel. The public deserves to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the ability to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US requests for an interview. 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 previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a statement that “rich and powerful men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide justice for the affected individuals. We will not halt advocating for responsibility and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his titles suggest there is further to this situation.”

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