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

In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.

The official demand to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and agreed to surrender his property in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and travel logs subpoenaed 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 misconduct.

“The oversight committee will probe claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, circle, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any impropriety.

Details of the Communication

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing underage individuals. 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 partners in crime.”

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

Previous Statements and Collaboration

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to appear before the committee. The public has the right to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not possess the power to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to respond to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has fulfilled with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Transparency

The representative said in a statement that “affluent and influential men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and secure justice for the survivors. Oversight Democrats will not halt advocating for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will show that, and the victims will receive long overdue justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his styles suggest there is more to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.