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A American legislative panel investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its investigation.

The formal request to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will examine claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any misconduct.

Details of the Request

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction 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 secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Previous Comments and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the committee. The public has the right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the ability to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “rich and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and deliver justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not cease pushing for answerability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the active probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

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

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