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A US congressional body looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its investigation.

The official demand to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Claims

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

“The committee will examine allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Content of the Letter

“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors 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 home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming 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 suspicion that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Previous Comments and Collaboration

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to appear before the committee. The people deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies 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 approached Andrew’s attorneys to check on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Accountability

The congressman said in a comment that “affluent and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure justice for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for accountability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the current probe. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors suggest there is further to this story.”

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