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A American legislative body looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother help with its inquiry.

The formal request to respond to queries follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and consented to vacate his property in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

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 survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The oversight committee will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s operations, network, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has consistently strongly denied any misconduct.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been alleged 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 accused of harming underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled 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 partners in crime.”

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

Previous Remarks and Cooperation

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

However, the congressman does not possess the power to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot oblige statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US appeals for an discussion. 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 just for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Calls for Transparency

The lawmaker said in a announcement that “affluent and influential men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure justice for the affected individuals. The committee will not halt fighting for answerability and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing evidence to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as news accounts of released files, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the ongoing investigation. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his honors show there is further to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally stripped Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III publicly made the adjustment – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.