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A US congressional committee investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter released on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling help with its investigation.

The written appeal to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and agreed to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Claims

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

“The oversight committee will examine accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s network, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any impropriety.

Substance of the Letter

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Statements and Collaboration

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

However, the congressman does not hold the authority to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot force 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 reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Accountability

The representative said in a announcement that “wealthy and influential men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and secure redress for the survivors. The committee will not cease pushing for answerability and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the ongoing investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive long overdue redress. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king publicly removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.