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A US congressional body investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, once Britain’s Prince Andrew, requesting that he undergo a deposition as part of its probe into Epstein’s wrongdoings.

In a document released on Thursday, a lawmaker, the senior Democrat on the House investigative committee, urged that King Charles III’s younger brother assist with its investigation.

The formal request to respond to queries comes a week after Mountbatten Windsor was relieved of his princely title and opted to vacate his rented residence in Windsor.

Documents and Accusations

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

“The panel will examine accusations of misconduct by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek details on Epstein’s network, circle, and connections based on the men’s longstanding and extensively reported friendship,” the committee said in a statement.

It requested information from Mountbatten Windsor on particulars of his association with Epstein, who killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew has repeatedly categorically denied any wrongdoing.

Substance of the Communication

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

It stated further: “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 charged of harming minors. This intimate friendship with Mr Epstein, combined with the recently revealed 2011 email exchange in which you wrote to him ‘we are in this together’, further confirms our belief that you may have valuable information about the wrongdoings committed by Mr Epstein and his partners in crime.”

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

Past Comments and Cooperation

The letter follows a week after another Democrat on the committee told: “Andrew should be summoned to appear before the committee. The public has the right to know who was assaulting women and underage individuals alongside Epstein.”

However, the lawmaker does not possess the authority to subpoena the duke and Congress itself cannot force testimony from a overseas individual.

In 2020, US officials said that Mountbatten Windsor did not reply to US requests for an discussion. The then US attorney for the southern district of New York said that lawyers and the FBI had reached out to Andrew’s legal team to check on his previous pledge that he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency”.

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

Appeals for Justice

The representative said in a statement that “wealthy and powerful men have avoided accountability for far too long. Now, former Prince Andrew has the option to tell the truth and secure accountability for the victims. The committee will not stop pushing for responsibility and clarity for those affected of Epstein and his network of accomplices.”

Another signatory, a Virginia Democrat, said that after receiving evidence to the committee from Epstein’s accusers, as well as news accounts of leaked documents, “it is essential that Andrew assists with the active probe. If he is not guilty, then he can vindicate himself.”

The lawmaker stated further: “And if not, our investigation will show that, and the affected individuals will receive much-delayed justice. The monarchy’s actions stripping Andrew of his honors indicate there is additional to this story.”

The letter was issued on the same day the British king officially removed Mountbatten Windsor of his HRH style. Charles III formally made the alteration – which had been announced a week ago – by issuing a “official document” which the crown office released in the Gazette, the UK’s government journal.