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A American legislative committee looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter published on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, asked that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.

The official demand to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and opted to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and travel logs obtained 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 sexual assault.

“The oversight committee will probe accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

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

Content of the Letter

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing young girls. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Earlier Remarks and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the oversight committee. The public should be able to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the authority to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US agencies 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 authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s lawyers to check 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 followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered no cooperation”.

Calls for Accountability

The representative said in a announcement that “wealthy and influential men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and deliver redress for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not cease fighting for accountability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the active investigation. If he is innocent, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed accountability. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors show there is more to this case.”

The letter came on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.