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A American legislative body probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document made public on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight panel, requested that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its investigation.

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

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The committee will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Content of the Letter

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 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 crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Comments and Collaboration

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not hold the power to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US demands for an interview. 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 previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a comment that “rich and influential men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and secure redress for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not cease fighting for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the active inquiry. 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 belated redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles indicate there is more to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.