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A US congressional body looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a letter published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to give up his property in Windsor.

Documents and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in papers and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The committee will probe claims of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek data on Epstein’s network, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his relationship with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Request

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

It added: “It has also been alleged that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, along with the freshly uncovered 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Previous Remarks and Collaboration

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

However, the congressman does not hold the authority to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to check on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Accountability

The representative said in a statement that “affluent and influential men have avoided the law for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the option to be honest and secure redress for the victims. The committee will not stop fighting for responsibility and transparency for victims of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the ongoing inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive belated justice. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles indicate there is additional to this case.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.