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A US congressional panel probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, previously Britain’s Prince Andrew, demanding that he undergo a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

In a communication released on Thursday, a US representative, the senior Democrat on the House oversight committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother assist with its inquiry.

The formal request to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his royal title and consented to give up his property in Windsor.

Files and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and travel logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s victims, the late Virginia Giuffre, of abuse.

“The panel will examine allegations of wrongdoing by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request information on Epstein’s activities, circle, and accomplices based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

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

Details of the Communication

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

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you went with Epstein to his New York residence, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been accused of abusing minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the freshly uncovered 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our suspicion that you may have key insights about the crimes committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Earlier Remarks and Assistance

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

However, the congressman does not hold the ability to compel the duke and Congress itself cannot oblige evidence from a non-US citizen.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US appeals for an meeting. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that prosecutors and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to follow up on his earlier promise that he was “ready to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Demands for Accountability

The representative said in a comment that “wealthy and influential men have escaped the law for far too long. Now, ex- Prince Andrew has the chance to tell the truth and provide accountability for the survivors. We will not cease pushing for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his gang of accomplices.”

Another supporter, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving testimony to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is vital that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is innocent, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will demonstrate that, and the survivors will receive belated accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his titles show there is additional to this case.”

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