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A US congressional committee looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its probe.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will probe claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, circle, and connections based on the men’s long-term and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded particulars 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 misconduct.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged that you traveled 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 assaulting young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, along 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 important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Comments and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to testify before the committee. The public should be able to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the ability to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The representative said in a comment that “affluent and powerful men have evaded the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and deliver redress for the victims. The committee will not cease pushing for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew cooperates with the active inquiry. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our probe will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The Royal Family’s actions removing Andrew of his styles indicate there is additional to this story.”

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