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A US congressional committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its investigation.

The written appeal to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and agreed to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in records and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will examine accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s operations, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Details of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

A statement regarding the letter said it was co-signed by 13 other Democrats on the committee and demands a response by 20 November.

Earlier Remarks and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the committee. The citizens deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the authority to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a foreign national.

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

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

Appeals for Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “affluent and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and provide redress for the affected individuals. We will not halt advocating for accountability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the active probe. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated redress. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his honors suggest there is more to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.