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A US congressional body looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.

The written appeal to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and consented to surrender his property in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

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 survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The committee will examine allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, network, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Letter

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

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.

Past Comments and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the panel. The people deserves to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond 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 legal team to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “rich and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure accountability for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not cease pushing for answerability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed justice. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his honors suggest there is additional to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.