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A American legislative committee probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication released on Thursday, a California congressman, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, urged that King Charles III’s brother help with its probe.

The written appeal to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his HRH style and agreed to vacate his property in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and travel logs subpoenaed 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 oversight committee will examine accusations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand details on Epstein’s network, associates, and connections based on the men’s enduring and thoroughly recorded friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any impropriety.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of abusing minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our suspicion that you may have important details about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Statements and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be asked to testify before the panel. The citizens has the right to know who was abusing women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not hold the power to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor failed to cooperate to US demands for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his public commitment that he was “willing to help any relevant law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Justice

The representative said in a statement that “rich and influential men have escaped accountability for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and provide justice for the survivors. The committee will not halt pushing for responsibility and transparency for those affected of Epstein and his network of partners.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s survivors, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew works together with the ongoing probe. If he is blameless, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated justice. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors indicate there is more to this case.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III officially made the change – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.