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

In a communication released on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The written appeal to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to surrender his property in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will investigate claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s activities, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any misconduct.

Content of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Previous Remarks and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the committee. The citizens should be able to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the authority to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US appeals 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 check on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given no cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and well-connected men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure justice for the affected individuals. The committee will not stop fighting for answerability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the ongoing investigation. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.