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A US congressional panel investigating sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication published on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its investigation.

The official demand to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and opted to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The oversight committee will examine claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s activities, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Content of the Letter

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 conviction for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of assaulting young girls. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Statements and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to testify before the panel. The public should be able to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not hold the ability to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US appeals for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a comment that “rich and well-connected men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver redress for the victims. The committee will not stop advocating for answerability and clarity for victims of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the current investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his titles show there is more 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 “letters patent” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.