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

In a letter made public on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its probe.

The written appeal to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and agreed to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will investigate accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s activities, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any misconduct.

Content of the Communication

“It has been documented that your friendship 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 continued: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Statements and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The citizens should be able to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate 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 no cooperation”.

Calls for Justice

The representative said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and deliver accountability for the victims. The committee will not cease pushing for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the victims will receive belated accountability. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors suggest there is further to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.