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A American legislative body looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to an interview as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist 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 leased home in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will examine accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

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

Details of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed 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 alleged of assaulting underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Comments and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the panel. The citizens deserves to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the ability to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “rich and powerful men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver redress for the survivors. We will not cease fighting for responsibility and openness for survivors of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the current inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors show there is further to this story.”

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