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A American legislative body investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.

The official demand to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

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

It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 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 crimes 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 asks a response by 20 November.

Past Comments and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The public should be able to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Accountability

The congressman said in a announcement that “affluent and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and deliver accountability for the survivors. We will not stop fighting for responsibility and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his network of partners.”

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

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the survivors will receive long overdue justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this case.”

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