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A US congressional body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo an interview as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

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

The official demand to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The committee will investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any impropriety.

Details of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you went 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 alleged of abusing young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined 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 valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Previous Statements and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to testify before the panel. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the authority to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot force statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Justice

The congressman said in a comment that “affluent and influential men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and deliver accountability for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not cease fighting for answerability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing probe. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this situation.”

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