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A American legislative panel looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a letter made public on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its probe.

The official demand to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The oversight committee will examine allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s network, associates, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Details of the Letter

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

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing minors. This strong bond 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 belief that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Comments and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the oversight committee. The citizens should be able to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not have the power to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to check on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Justice

The congressman said in a statement that “wealthy and powerful men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. The committee will not halt advocating for responsibility and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the current probe. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the victims will receive much-delayed redress. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his honors indicate there is more to this case.”

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