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

In a letter made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its inquiry.

The formal request to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and opted to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will investigate claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Substance of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced 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 property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our belief that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Statements and Cooperation

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

However, the congressman does not have the authority to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US requests 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 check on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any appropriate 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 “provided zero cooperation”.

Demands for Transparency

The congressman said in a statement that “affluent and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and provide justice for the survivors. The committee will not stop fighting for responsibility and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing probe. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue redress. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his styles show there is additional to this story.”

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