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A American legislative panel probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The official demand to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The committee will examine accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s network, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any impropriety.

Details of the Communication

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

It added: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Past Comments and Cooperation

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

However, the lawmaker does not hold the power to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Transparency

The representative said in a statement that “rich and influential men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and provide redress for the victims. We will not stop pushing for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the current investigation. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

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 removing Andrew of his styles indicate there is more to this case.”

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