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A US congressional body probing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.

The official demand to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and consented to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The oversight committee will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Letter

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 conviction for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting underage individuals. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Past Remarks and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be called to testify before the oversight committee. The people has the right to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not have the power to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Accountability

The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and well-connected men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide accountability for the victims. We will not cease fighting for accountability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the current investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated redress. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his titles show there is further to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king officially stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.