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A American legislative body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its inquiry.

The formal request to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs obtained 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 sexual assault.

“The committee will probe accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any misconduct.

Content of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have important details about the wrongdoings 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 demands a answer by 20 November.

Earlier Remarks and Assistance

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

However, the representative does not hold the ability to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise 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 pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Justice

The representative said in a comment that “rich and well-connected men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and deliver accountability for the victims. We will not stop fighting for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue redress. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his honors suggest there is further to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.