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A American legislative panel looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo questioning as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its inquiry.

The formal request to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and opted to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The panel will examine allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s operations, circle, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Content of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have important details 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 asks a reply by 20 November.

Previous Remarks and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens should be able to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Justice

The lawmaker said in a comment that “wealthy and well-connected men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and secure justice for the victims. The committee will not cease fighting for answerability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing probe. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the survivors will receive long overdue redress. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his styles indicate there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.