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A American legislative panel investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.

The official demand to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and opted to surrender his property in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, associates, and associates based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Request

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

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you went 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 charged of assaulting minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern 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 requests a answer by 20 November.

Past Remarks and Cooperation

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

However, the lawmaker does not hold the power to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Demands for Accountability

The congressman said in a announcement that “rich and influential men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure redress for the survivors. We will not halt pushing for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing probe. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the victims will receive much-delayed accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his honors show there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.