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A US congressional body probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its probe.

The written appeal to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and travel logs 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 committee will probe allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Content of the Request

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

It stated further: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Past Remarks and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the committee. The public deserves to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the ability to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate 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 check on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any relevant 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 “offered zero cooperation”.

Demands for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a comment that “affluent and influential men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure justice for the victims. We will not halt pushing for responsibility and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”

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

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.