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A US congressional body looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he submit to a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s criminal operations.

In a communication published on Thursday, a lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its inquiry.

The written appeal to provide testimony arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his HRH style and opted to vacate his leased home in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and aviation records subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The panel will probe allegations of wrongdoing 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 statement.

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

Details of the Request

“It has been widely reported that your association with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you stayed connected through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been alleged 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 alleged of abusing minors. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 electronic correspondence in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Past Remarks and Cooperation

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee commented: “Andrew should be summoned to testify before the oversight committee. The citizens deserves to know who was assaulting women and young girls alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the ability to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot compel evidence from a foreign national.

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

“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that assurance,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “provided zero cooperation”.

Appeals for Accountability

The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and well-connected men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the chance to be honest and secure justice for the victims. The committee will not halt pushing for accountability and openness for victims of Epstein and his group of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing testimony to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the ongoing probe. If he is not guilty, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker added: “And if not, our investigation will reveal that, and the survivors will receive belated redress. The monarchy’s actions removing Andrew of his styles suggest there is further to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his royal title. Charles III publicly made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s public registry.