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A American legislative body probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its investigation.

The written appeal to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and agreed to surrender his property in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The committee will investigate accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, circle, and associates based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Details of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A announcement regarding the letter said it was supported by 13 other Democrats on the committee and requests a answer by 20 November.

Previous Statements and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the ability to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a comment that “wealthy and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and deliver redress for the affected individuals. The committee will not stop advocating for responsibility and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors show there is additional to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.