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A American legislative committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication released on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother help with its inquiry.

The formal request to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and agreed to give up his property in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed 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 victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s operations, associates, and connections based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Details of the Communication

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

It added: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Previous Remarks and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the oversight committee. The citizens should be able to know who was abusing women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.

Demands for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and well-connected men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and deliver redress for the survivors. The committee will not halt fighting for accountability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed accountability. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his titles suggest there is additional to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king formally stripped 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 royal office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.