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A US congressional committee probing 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 investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter published on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its investigation.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and agreed to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

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

“The oversight committee will examine allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Content of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed 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 alleged of abusing young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Previous Statements and Assistance

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

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

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his public commitment that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given absolutely no cooperation”.

Calls for Justice

The lawmaker said in a statement that “wealthy and well-connected men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure redress for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not halt advocating for responsibility and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.