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A US congressional panel probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its probe.

The written appeal to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was endorsed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.

Earlier Remarks and Collaboration

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

However, the congressman does not have the ability to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US requests 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 inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.

Demands for Justice

The representative said in a statement that “rich and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide accountability for the affected individuals. We will not halt fighting for responsibility and transparency for victims of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the current probe. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the survivors will receive belated justice. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles indicate there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked 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 released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.