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A US congressional panel probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its probe.

The official demand to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears 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 sexual assault.

“The committee will examine accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any misconduct.

Details of the Request

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms 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 co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.

Previous Remarks and Collaboration

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

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

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply 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 inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and provide accountability for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not halt pushing for answerability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the active investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is further to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.