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A US congressional committee looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he participate in a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its probe.

The formal request to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and opted to vacate 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 alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

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

It sought particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any misconduct.

Details of the Request

“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting underage individuals. This intimate friendship 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 belief that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Previous Remarks and Assistance

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens deserves to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the power to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a non-US citizen.

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

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

Calls 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 opportunity to be honest and provide justice for the survivors. The committee will not halt pushing for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the survivors will receive belated redress. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles indicate there is additional to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.