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A American legislative body looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its probe.

The written appeal to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to give up his property in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The oversight committee will examine allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s activities, associates, and connections based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Content of the Request

“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Remarks and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the committee. The citizens has the right to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the power to subpoena the former prince 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 prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to check on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Accountability

The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and influential men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and provide redress for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not halt advocating for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the current investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the survivors will receive long overdue justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors show there is additional to this story.”

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