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A US congressional panel investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly Britain’s Prince Andrew, asking that he participate in a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document published on Thursday, a US representative, the top Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s brother cooperate with its inquiry.

The formal request to respond to queries arrives a week after Mountbatten Windsor was lost his princely title and opted to vacate his property in Windsor.

Records and Accusations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name features in records and flight logs subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate and publicly released by the committee. He has also been alleged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault.

“The committee will investigate allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will request data on Epstein’s network, associates, and accomplices based on the men’s long-term and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a press release.

It demanded details from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has consistently vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Request

“It has been documented that your friendship with Mr Epstein commenced in 1999 and that you continued associating through and after his 2008 sentencing for procuring minors for commercial sex acts,” the letter said.

It continued: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York property, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s secluded island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been alleged of assaulting underage individuals. This close relationship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further supports our belief 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 reply by 20 November.

Past Comments and Assistance

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

However, the lawmaker does not possess the authority to compel the former prince and Congress itself cannot force statements from a foreign national.

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

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

Appeals for Accountability

The congressman said in a announcement that “wealthy and influential men have escaped justice for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and secure justice for the affected individuals. We will not cease advocating for accountability and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his network of co-conspirators.”

Another endorser, a Virginia Democrat, said that after listening to evidence to the committee from Epstein’s victims, as well as public reporting of released files, “it is essential that Andrew works together with the current investigation. If he is blameless, then he can prove his innocence.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our examination will reveal that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue accountability. The royal household’s actions taking away Andrew of his styles indicate there is further to this situation.”

The letter came on the same day the British king formally removed Mountbatten Windsor of his princely title. Charles III officially made the change – which had been declared a week ago – by issuing a “royal decree” which the crown office made public in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record.