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A US congressional committee looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo an interview as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.

The written appeal to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

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

“The panel will examine claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s network, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

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

Content of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started 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 stated further: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, 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 minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined 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 key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a reply by 20 November.

Past Statements and Assistance

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to testify before the panel. The citizens has the right to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the authority to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a non-US citizen.

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

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

Calls for Transparency

The congressman said in a statement that “rich and influential men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to be honest and provide justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not halt advocating for answerability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the current probe. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles show there is further to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.