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A American legislative panel probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its investigation.

The formal request to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and agreed to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The committee will examine allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and associates based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Content of the Letter

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” 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 harming underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Past Statements and Assistance

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the panel. The citizens deserves to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the ability to subpoena the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to check on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Justice

The representative said in a statement that “affluent and influential men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver redress for the victims. The committee will not cease fighting for accountability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the current probe. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated redress. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his honors indicate there is additional to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.