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A US congressional committee looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a letter published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, asked that King Charles III’s sibling cooperate with its probe.

The official demand to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and agreed to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will investigate accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Substance of the Letter

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you journeyed with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of harming minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Past Comments and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the panel. The people deserves to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s attorneys to check on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “given zero cooperation”.

Demands for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “affluent and well-connected men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and secure redress for the affected individuals. We will not halt fighting for responsibility and transparency for survivors of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the current probe. If he is innocent, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles indicate there is additional to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.