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A American legislative body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a letter published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its investigation.

The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to vacate his property in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

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

“The panel will examine allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s activities, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any impropriety.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Remarks and Assistance

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

However, the congressman does not have the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any relevant 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 “provided absolutely no cooperation”.

Calls for Accountability

The congressman said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure justice for the affected individuals. We will not cease advocating for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles indicate there is more to this case.”

The letter was issued 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 “official document” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.