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A American legislative panel probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The formal request to provide testimony follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his royal title and opted to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will investigate claims of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s activities, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

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

Content of the Communication

“It has been widely reported that your friendship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting young girls. 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 suspicion that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Statements and Cooperation

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the panel. The people should be able to know who was abusing women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the authority to compel the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot force statements from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to 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 contacted Andrew’s legal team to inquire on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided absolutely no cooperation”.

Demands for Accountability

The congressman said in a comment that “affluent and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and deliver justice for the victims. We will not cease advocating for accountability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue justice. The monarchy’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles show there is additional to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III officially made the alteration – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.