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A American legislative committee probing pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo a deposition as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document made public on Thursday, a California congressman, the leading Democrat on the House investigative committee, requested that King Charles III’s sibling help with its investigation.

The formal request to provide testimony comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of his HRH style and consented to vacate his property in Windsor.

Records and Allegations

Mountbatten Windsor’s name is listed in documents and flight logs secured from Epstein’s estate and disclosed by the committee. He has also been charged by one of Epstein’s survivors, the late Virginia Giuffre, of misconduct.

“The committee will probe accusations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will demand data on Epstein’s activities, circle, and connections based on the men’s enduring and well-documented friendship,” the committee said in a announcement.

It sought details from Mountbatten Windsor on specifics of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has always vehemently rejected any wrongdoing.

Details of the Communication

“It has been publicly reported that your relationship with Mr Epstein began in 1999 and that you remained close through and after his 2008 sentencing for trafficking underage girls for prostitution,” the letter said.

It stated further: “It has also been claimed that you traveled with Epstein to his New York home, the Queen’s home at Balmoral, and to Mr Epstein’s personal island in the US Virgin Islands, where you have been charged of harming young girls. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, coupled with the recently revealed 2011 digital communication in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our concern that you may have key insights about the offenses committed by Mr Epstein and his co-conspirators.”

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

Previous Comments and Collaboration

The letter comes a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to give evidence before the panel. The people has the right to know who was assaulting women and minors alongside Epstein.”

However, the representative does not have the authority to legally require the ex-royal and Congress itself cannot compel testimony from a foreign national.

In 2020, US authorities said that Mountbatten Windsor did not respond to US demands for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that authorities and the FBI had approached Andrew’s attorneys to inquire on his earlier promise that he was “prepared to help any suitable 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 “given zero cooperation”.

Calls for Accountability

The congressman said in a statement that “wealthy and well-connected men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, one-time Prince Andrew has the opportunity to tell the truth and provide redress for the affected individuals. Oversight Democrats will not stop pushing for answerability and clarity for survivors of Epstein and his group of co-conspirators.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after hearing accounts to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as public reporting of disclosed papers, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the current inquiry. If he is blameless, then he can clear his name.”

The lawmaker continued: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the affected individuals will receive long overdue accountability. The royal household’s actions removing Andrew of his honors show there is more to this case.”

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