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A US congressional body investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its inquiry.

The written appeal to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to surrender his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs 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 misconduct.

“The oversight committee will examine allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s activities, circle, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any impropriety.

Content of the Letter

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Earlier Comments and Collaboration

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The people has the right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not possess the power to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to check on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Justice

The representative said in a comment that “rich and influential men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and provide redress for the affected individuals. The committee will not stop fighting for responsibility and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

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

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles show there is additional to this situation.”

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