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A American legislative body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication released on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its probe.

The official demand to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and consented to surrender his property in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The oversight committee will probe allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, network, and associates based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed 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 minors. This strong bond 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 suspicion that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Previous Statements and Assistance

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The people has the right to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not possess the ability to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a non-US citizen.

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

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

Calls for Justice

The congressman said in a statement that “rich and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and provide redress for the victims. The committee will not cease advocating for accountability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive long overdue justice. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is further to this story.”

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