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A American legislative body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s criminal operations.

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

The formal request to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and opted to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and flight 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 sexual assault.

“The oversight committee will examine accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s activities, circle, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any impropriety.

Content of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” 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 charged of harming young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Previous Comments and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The people has the right to know who was harming women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the ability to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US demands for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “ready to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “affluent and well-connected men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and deliver accountability for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not cease pushing for answerability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated accountability. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his styles show there is more to this situation.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.