1 month ago
The relative of nan precocious Virginia Giuffre criticized King Charles III for not gathering pinch survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s maltreatment during his sojourn to nan United States this week.
“Survivors are present sitting pinch members of Congress, still fighting to beryllium heard, still pushing for existent accountability, while galore of nan powerful figures connected to these systems stay conscionable retired of reach, incapable to admit survivors look to face,” Giuffre’s relative Sky Roberts said. “You would expect this to beryllium a infinitesimal for nan king to springiness a connection to nan world that he stands pinch survivors.”
Roberts said astatine a roundtable discussion hosted by Ro Khanna, nan California Democratic representative, who co-authored nan Epstein Files Transparency Act. The chat included relatives of Giuffre, who took her ain life past year, Sharlene Rochard and Danielle Bensky, Epstein survivors, and representatives from respective quality authorities and women’s authorities organizations. The roundtable was held up of King Charles III’s address to Congress connected Tuesday.
Khanna sent nan king a missive past month, urging him to meet pinch survivors of Epstein’s maltreatment during his authorities sojourn to nan US.
“I respectfully inquire that you privately meet pinch survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse, truthful they whitethorn speak to you straight astir nan ways powerful individuals and institutions grounded them,” Khanna wrote. “Survivors want this meeting.”
A lawyer representing King Charles and Queen Camilla later said successful a letter, reported by nan New York Times, that nan king would not meet with Epstein’s victims during this visit. The missive cited “ongoing constabulary inquiries” successful nan UK, and said that King Charles was “unable to meet survivors aliases remark straight connected nan matters nether inquiry”.
“The king and queen person consistently made clear their support for each victims of abuse, wherever and nevertheless perpetrated,” nan missive added.
The ungraded surrounding Epstein, on pinch nan caller merchandise of US Department of Justice files related to him, has reverberated astir nan world but peculiarly successful nan UK, wherever nan relationship betwixt Epstein and nan king’s younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has plagued nan royal family for respective years.
Giuffre, 1 of Epstein’s astir salient accusers, alleged that Mountbatten-Windsor had sexually abused her aft she was trafficked by Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied these claims. In 2019, he stepped back from royal nationalist duties pursuing backlash aft his question and reply pinch nan BBC astir his relationship pinch Epstein and Giuffre’s allegations. Two years later, successful 2021, Giuffre revenge a civilian suit against him, accusing Mountbatten-Windsor of sexual assault. In 2022, he lost his military roles and royal patronage, and later that year, Mountbatten-Windsor and Giuffre agreed to an out-of-court settlement. He did not admit wrongdoing successful nan settlement.
Giuffre died by termination successful April 2025. Her memoir Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice was published posthumously past October. That aforesaid month, Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles and moved retired of his location astatine nan Royal lodge, pursuing growing controversy complete his links to Epstein.
More recently, nan justness department’s files person shed further ray connected Mountbatten-Windsor’s narration pinch Epstein. In February, he was arrested connected suspicion of misconduct successful nationalist office, stemming from allegations he whitethorn person shared confidential worldly pinch Epstein while serving arsenic a UK waste and acquisition envoy. He has denied immoderate wrongdoing aliases accusations against him and has not been charged.
Following nan arrest, nan king issued a uncommon public statement, saying that “the rule must return its course”.
“As this process continues, it would not beryllium correct for maine to remark further connected this matter,” Charles continued.
Giuffre’s family reacted to Mountbatten-Windsor’s apprehension by saying that their “broken hearts person been lifted astatine nan news that nary 1 is supra nan law, not moreover royalty”.
On Tuesday, Khanna said he convened nan gathering to bring together Epstein survivors and advocates to talk nan “realities of trafficking and intersexual assault, nan failures successful existent systems, and actions Congress tin return to amended protect survivors and forestall abuse” up of nan king’s remarks to lawmakers.
Earlier this week, Giuffre’s relative told Sky News he believes that nan king not gathering pinch Epstein survivors this week is simply a “missed opportunity”.
“Because moreover if it’s not to spell into depths, it intends thing to look into a survivor’s eyes and say: ‘I committedness to springiness you a adjacent and thorough investigation successful this and that does not matter if it’s my relative aliases if it’s different perpetrators retired there. I, nan King of England, guidelines pinch survivors,’” he said.
