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A American legislative panel looking into sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling help with its inquiry.

The official demand to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Claims

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

“The committee will examine allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s network, network, and connections based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested particulars from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any impropriety.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been widely reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 conviction for procuring minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “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 close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have important details about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Earlier Remarks and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the oversight committee. The public should be able to know who was harming women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

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

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s lawyers to follow up on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Transparency

The representative said in a announcement that “affluent and powerful men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and deliver justice for the survivors. The committee will not halt pushing for accountability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew assists with the active probe. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive much-delayed redress. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his titles suggest there is more to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. 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.