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A American legislative panel looking into pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has formally written to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication published on Thursday, a US representative, the leading Democrat on the House oversight panel, urged that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.

The official demand to answer questions follows a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his royal title and opted to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name appears in papers and travel logs obtained from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will probe allegations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request details on Epstein’s network, network, and associates based on the men’s longstanding and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded information from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York detention facility in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any impropriety.

Content of the Communication

“It has been documented that your association with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for trafficking underage girls for sex work,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been reported that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s residence at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming underage individuals. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the newly disclosed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further bolsters our concern that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his accomplices.”

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

Previous Statements and Assistance

The letter arrives a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be asked to give evidence before the oversight committee. The public should be able to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the congressman does not have the authority to legally require the duke and Congress itself cannot force statements from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor did not cooperate to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to check on his public commitment that he was “prepared to help any appropriate 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 “offered zero cooperation”.

Demands for Accountability

The lawmaker said in a comment that “wealthy and powerful men have avoided justice for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and secure accountability for the victims. The committee will not cease fighting for answerability and openness for survivors of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as media coverage of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew cooperates with the current investigation. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the affected individuals will receive belated redress. The Royal Family’s actions taking away Andrew of his honors indicate there is more to this story.”

The letter came on the same day the British king publicly revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the royal office published in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.