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A American legislative committee probing sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document published on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The formal request to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his princely title and opted to give up his property in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and travel logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and made public by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The oversight committee will probe accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s activities, network, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Details of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s estate at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have important details about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Previous Statements and Assistance

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee stated: “Andrew should be called to appear before the oversight committee. The citizens deserves to know who was harming women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not have the power to subpoena the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to reply to US requests for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Transparency

The congressman said in a comment that “rich and powerful men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the chance to come clean and provide redress for the victims. We will not halt advocating for answerability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his gang of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as media coverage of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the current 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 survivors will receive much-delayed redress. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles indicate there is additional to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.