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A American legislative committee looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its probe.

The written appeal to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and opted to surrender his property in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and flight 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 examine claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s operations, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a reply by 20 November.

Past Statements and Collaboration

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

However, the lawmaker does not hold the ability to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot force statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Transparency

The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure redress for the survivors. We will not cease advocating for responsibility and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue justice. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles indicate there is more to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.