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

In a document released on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its investigation.

The official demand to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in records and travel logs subpoenaed 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 abuse.

“The committee will probe claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s operations, circle, and associates based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded 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 always vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Details of the Communication

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you traveled 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 charged of harming underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Past Remarks and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the committee. The people has the right to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the power to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Calls for Justice

The representative said in a announcement that “rich and well-connected men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and provide accountability for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not stop fighting for answerability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the ongoing investigation. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles indicate there is more to this story.”

The letter came on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.