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A US congressional committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document released on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its inquiry.

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

Files and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

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

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any impropriety.

Content of the Letter

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, 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 minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have key insights about the crimes 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.

Earlier Remarks and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the panel. The people deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the authority to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot force evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond 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 legal team to check on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just 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”.

Demands for Transparency

The representative said in a comment that “wealthy and influential men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and deliver accountability for the affected individuals. The committee will not halt advocating for accountability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the active investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the survivors will receive belated redress. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors indicate there is further to this story.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.