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A US congressional body investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication published on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s sibling assist with its inquiry.

The formal request to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and agreed to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The oversight committee will investigate accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, associates, and associates based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Details of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Statements and Collaboration

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

However, the congressman does not hold the power to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US requests for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to check on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any relevant 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 no cooperation”.

Appeals for Justice

The lawmaker said in a statement that “rich and powerful men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and secure justice for the survivors. We will not stop fighting for accountability and clarity for victims of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the active probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his titles indicate there is additional to this case.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.