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A US congressional body probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its inquiry.

The written appeal to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The oversight committee will investigate accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, circle, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any misconduct.

Details of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.

Previous Comments and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the oversight committee. The people should be able to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to check on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.

Appeals for Transparency

The representative said in a statement that “rich and influential men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and secure justice for the victims. The committee will not cease pushing for responsibility and transparency for victims of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing probe. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles show there is further to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.