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A American legislative committee investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document released on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its probe.

The official demand to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and agreed to surrender his property in Windsor.

Files and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Substance of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief 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 supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a response by 20 November.

Past Statements and Collaboration

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

However, the congressman does not have the ability to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US demands for an discussion. 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 reasonable 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”.

Demands for Transparency

The congressman said in a comment that “affluent and powerful men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and provide accountability for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not cease advocating for responsibility and clarity for victims of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the active inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the victims will receive long overdue accountability. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors suggest there is additional to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.