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A American legislative committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling help with its investigation.

The formal request to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and opted to give up his property in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

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

“The committee will investigate claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s operations, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding 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 killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always categorically denied any misconduct.

Substance of the Communication

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

It continued: “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 private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Previous Comments and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The citizens should be able to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not have the authority to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and deliver accountability for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not cease fighting for answerability and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the active probe. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated redress. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors show there is further to this situation.”

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