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A American legislative committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has sent a letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a document released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother help with its investigation.

The official demand to answer questions comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and consented to give up his leased home in Windsor.

Files and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in papers and aviation records obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will probe allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand information on Epstein’s network, network, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought information from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Details of the Letter

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

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of assaulting young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our suspicion that you may have valuable information about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Past Comments and Collaboration

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

However, the lawmaker does not have the power to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to reply to US appeals for an interview. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had contacted Andrew’s lawyers to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “willing to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

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

Calls for Accountability

The congressman said in a announcement that “affluent and influential men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and provide redress for the affected individuals. We will not cease fighting for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is vital that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our probe will reveal that, and the victims will receive belated redress. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles show there is further to this situation.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king formally revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the adjustment – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the monarch’s office published in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.