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A American legislative committee probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in questioning as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its inquiry.

The formal request to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and consented to surrender his property in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and travel logs subpoenaed 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 misconduct.

“The panel will investigate allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s operations, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Communication

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

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights 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 reply by 20 November.

Previous Statements and Collaboration

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The people has the right to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the authority to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled 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 “affluent and powerful men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and deliver accountability for the victims. We will not halt pushing for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed justice. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors suggest there is more to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly 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 government journal.