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A American legislative body probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its investigation.

The official demand to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and agreed to surrender his property in Windsor.

Files and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and aviation records 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 committee will investigate accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s network, circle, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Details of the Letter

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

It added: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Statements and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the panel. The citizens should be able to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the authority to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to check on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Accountability

The representative said in a announcement that “wealthy and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not halt advocating for responsibility and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing probe. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the survivors will receive long overdue accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.