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A US congressional body investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a letter released on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its probe.

The official demand to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and opted to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The panel will investigate claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any impropriety.

Details of the Request

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of harming underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Previous Remarks and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the panel. The public deserves to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Justice

The lawmaker said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure accountability for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not halt pushing for responsibility and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his group of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors indicate there is further to this story.”

The letter came on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.