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A US congressional panel looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document published on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and agreed to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs 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 oversight committee will investigate claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported 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 detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Details of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Comments and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the oversight committee. The people has the right to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the ability to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to check on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Justice

The congressman said in a announcement that “rich and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure justice for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not cease pushing for accountability and clarity for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the current probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive long overdue redress. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles suggest there is additional to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.