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A American legislative committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he undergo a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document published on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its inquiry.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The oversight committee will investigate claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s operations, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Substance of the Letter

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

It added: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have key insights 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 requests a answer by 20 November.

Previous Remarks and Cooperation

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

However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies 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 contacted Andrew’s legal team to check on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Justice

The congressman said in a announcement that “wealthy and influential men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and deliver redress for the survivors. The committee will not halt advocating for accountability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue redress. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles show there is further to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.