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A US congressional body investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its inquiry.

The formal request to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and opted to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Allegations

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

“The committee will investigate claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s operations, associates, and connections based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any misconduct.

Substance of the Communication

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

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.

Past Comments and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the oversight committee. The citizens has the right to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the power to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any relevant 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 “offered no cooperation”.

Appeals for Accountability

The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and well-connected men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and provide accountability for the survivors. We will not cease pushing for answerability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the active investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors show there is more to this situation.”

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