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A US congressional committee probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he submit to a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its investigation.

The formal request to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and agreed to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and travel logs secured 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 sexual assault.

“The oversight committee will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

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

Substance of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Statements and Assistance

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

However, the representative does not have the power to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to check on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure accountability for the affected individuals. We will not stop fighting for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his honors show there is more to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.