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A American legislative body looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

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

The official demand to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and agreed to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s activities, network, and connections based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

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

Substance of the Communication

“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Remarks and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The citizens has the right to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not have the power to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Demands for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a statement that “wealthy and well-connected men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and deliver redress for the affected individuals. The committee will not cease fighting for responsibility and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving accounts to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is more to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.