The Gist

• Prince Andrew, continually embroiled in scandal, may be called to testify before the U.S. Congress in connection with his association to Jeffrey Epstein.
• Andrew gave up his prestigious Duke of York title on October 17 as tensions continue to mount regarding numerous allegations against him.
• No member of the royal family has ever testified before Congress, making this a disgraceful first for Andrew.

Prince Andrew is about to go where no member of the British royal has gone before—though it is decidedly not something to be proud of.

The former Duke of York—who relinquished his prestigious title on October 17—is being summoned to testify before the U.S. Congress in connection with his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Representative Stephen Lynch of the House’s Oversight Committee said that the committee would be interested in talking to Andrew, telling BBC’s Newsnight program—coincidentally the same show where Andrew’s downfall began after a November 2019 appearance—that “We would be extremely interested in hearing from Prince Andrew regarding his involvement in all this, yes.”

No member of the British royal family has ever testified before Congress before; the closest any has come is Andrew’s mother, Queen Elizabeth, addressing both houses of Congress on May 16, 1991—the first British monarch to do so. Addressing Congress, however, is certainly not the same as testifying under oath, as Andrew would likely do.

Lynch said that the committee has already spoken to several Epstein survivors and is continuing to look into the matter. “I think for those on our committee, both Democrat and Republican, who have seen the pain and anguish that has been experienced by these women, it will only increase our interest in speaking to everyone who was involved here,” he said.

Per People, Andrew was named in a 2015 lawsuit against Epstein filed by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was sex trafficked to Andrew when she was just 17 years old. Giuffre later sued Andrew in 2021, and Andrew—who has always denied the accusations—settled out of court with her in 2022. Giuffre tragically died by suicide earlier this year.

Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, was released on October 21, just four days after Andrew surrendered the Duke of York title he’d held since 1986. That same day, Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts and his wife Amanda appeared on ITV’s This Morning, where they were asked if they had a message for the royal family.

“I would say you have an opportunity to promote change,” Amanda said. “You have an opportunity to say that you’ll be a royal family who protects the innocent no matter who is implicated, that you’ll stand on the right thing.”

“You have an opportunity for your people to trust you, and for other governments and other worlds to trust you, and we’re hoping that you’re going to do the right thing,” she continued. “I think it’s been far too long. Our sister has waited far too long for that acknowledgement and that justice, and we would hope that we can trust you to do that.”

In addition to possibly being called to testify before Congress, Andrew is also being investigated for allegedly asking his security detail for information on Giuffre as far back as 2011, People reported. The outlet reported that the allegations will be “examined in the appropriate way” by Buckingham Palace, which is treating all claims against Andrew with “very great concern.”