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A American legislative panel investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.

The formal request to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and agreed to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will probe accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s operations, network, and connections based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Content of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for sex work,” 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 private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.

Previous Remarks and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the panel. The public has the right to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the power to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to check on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and provide justice for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not stop fighting for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

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

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive much-delayed accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles indicate there is more to this story.”

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