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A US congressional committee investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in questioning as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

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

The written appeal to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and consented to vacate his property in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s activities, associates, and connections based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

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

Content of the Communication

“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence 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 accomplices.”

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

Past Comments and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the committee. The public deserves to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the power to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a comment that “affluent and well-connected men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide accountability for the survivors. We will not stop fighting for answerability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the active inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his titles indicate there is further to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.