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A American legislative committee looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling help with its investigation.

The official demand to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and agreed to give up his property in Windsor.

Files and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will probe allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s network, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any misconduct.

Substance of the Request

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

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Previous Statements and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the oversight committee. The public should be able to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to check on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Justice

The congressman said in a announcement that “rich and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide redress for the survivors. We will not halt advocating for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is further to this situation.”

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