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A American legislative committee investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document published on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its investigation.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and opted to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The oversight committee will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s operations, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any impropriety.

Substance of the Communication

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

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled 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 valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Previous Comments and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the panel. The people has the right to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not have the ability to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any relevant 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”.

Demands for Justice

The lawmaker said in a comment that “wealthy and influential men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and secure accountability for the survivors. The committee will not halt fighting for responsibility and clarity for victims of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this story.”

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