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A American legislative body investigating pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication published on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its probe.

The written appeal to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and opted to give up his rented residence in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in documents and flight logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will investigate claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s activities, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Letter

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

It continued: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming 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 suspicion that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Remarks and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be called to give evidence before the oversight committee. The public deserves to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the power to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige testimony from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to respond to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s just 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 Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “rich and well-connected men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure redress for the victims. Oversight Democrats will not stop fighting for accountability and transparency for victims of Epstein and his gang of partners.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of released files, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the active probe. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive much-delayed accountability. The royal household’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors indicate there is additional to this case.”

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