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A US congressional panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter published on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.

The written appeal to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and aviation records obtained 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 committee will probe claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any impropriety.

Details of the Request

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

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Comments and Assistance

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not have the authority to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply 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 lawyers to check on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Transparency

The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and provide justice for the survivors. We will not cease pushing for answerability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive belated redress. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.