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A American legislative committee probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document released on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The formal request to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and agreed to give up his property in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and travel logs secured 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 sexual assault.

“The panel will examine claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any misconduct.

Content of the Request

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

It added: “It has also been claimed that you went 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 charged of abusing underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication 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 co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.

Previous Remarks and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens should be able to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the ability to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to inquire 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 public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.

Demands for Justice

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “rich and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and secure accountability for the survivors. We will not cease advocating for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the ongoing investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors suggest there is additional to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the alteration – 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.