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A American legislative body probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

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

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

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in documents and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s activities, network, and connections based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Content of the Letter

“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Comments and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Transparency

The representative said in a comment that “affluent and well-connected men have evaded accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and secure justice for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not cease fighting for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the current inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles show there is more to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.