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A US congressional committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document released on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.

The formal request to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and agreed to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will investigate claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Remarks and Collaboration

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

However, the representative does not hold the authority to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate 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 earlier promise that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a comment that “wealthy and well-connected men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver accountability for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not cease advocating for responsibility and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his honors show there is further to this case.”

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