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A American legislative panel looking into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he submit to a deposition as part of its investigation into Epstein’s illegal activities.

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

The written appeal to answer questions arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and consented to surrender his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Claims

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and aviation records secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been accused by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The panel will examine claims of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s operations, network, and accomplices based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It requested details from Mountbatten Windsor on details of his association with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Communication

“It has been documented that your relationship with Mr Epstein started in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 guilty verdict for soliciting minors for prostitution,” the letter said.

It added: “It has also been reported that you went with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming minors. This strong bond with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our concern that you may have valuable information about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Earlier Statements and Cooperation

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

However, the lawmaker does not hold the power to legally require the former prince and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US agencies said that Mountbatten Windsor neglected to cooperate to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to check on his previous pledge that he was “prepared to help any suitable law enforcement agency”.

“It’s reasonable for people to know whether Prince Andrew has honored with that pledge,” the attorney said, adding that to date he had “offered absolutely no cooperation”.

Calls for Justice

The representative said in a statement that “affluent and influential men have evaded justice for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to come clean and provide redress for the victims. The committee will not cease pushing for answerability and openness for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to accounts to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is crucial that Andrew cooperates with the current inquiry. If he is not guilty, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our examination will show that, and the survivors will receive much-delayed justice. The Royal Family’s actions stripping Andrew of his titles suggest there is further to this story.”

The letter was sent on the same day the British king officially revoked Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III formally made the change – which had been revealed a week ago – by issuing a “letters patent” which the monarch’s office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.