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A American legislative committee investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document released on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its probe.

The formal request to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and consented to vacate his property in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

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 alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will probe claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Content of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A notification regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.

Previous Remarks and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the panel. The public should be able to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot force statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to check on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided no cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The congressman said in a statement that “affluent and influential men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure redress for the victims. We will not halt pushing for answerability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the ongoing investigation. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his honors indicate there is additional to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.