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A US congressional committee investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication released on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s brother assist with its probe.

The written appeal to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and opted to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records 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 abuse.

“The committee will examine allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, associates, and connections based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any misconduct.

Substance of the Request

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

It continued: “It has also been reported that you traveled 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 accused of abusing young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Statements and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the panel. The people deserves to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the power to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not 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 reached out to Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a statement that “rich and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and secure justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for accountability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated accountability. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is more to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.