Epstein survivors hold roundtable on the Hill after King Charles declines their invite

Source: The Independent

Wednesday 29 April 2026 16:22 EDT


Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein held a roundtable on Capitol Hill after King Charles III declined to meet with them despite his brother’s connections to the reviled sex offender. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), one of the lead sponsors of the legislation that led to the release of files related to Epstein, said ahead of the king’s joint address to Congress that the British monarch would address survivors in his address.

“I think it is a missed opportunity, and it would be a tone deaf for him not to speak to the plight of the survivors and the crimes of Epstein,” Khanna told reporters. “Especially given that we're having this round table on the same day, given that we wrote a letter to him, given that the British ambassador has said that he plans to address the survivors.”

Ultimately, Charles did not directly address Epstein survivors, although he did make a reference to “victims” in his address to Congress that was intended to include them. But before then, Khanna’s roundtable included many survivors, including the siblings of Virginia Giuffre.

Before she died by suicide, Virginia Giuffre alleged that she was trafficked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, the king’s brother, which Mountbatten-Windsor denies. Andrew was stripped of his royal titles following revelations of his ties to Epstein and allegations he shared insider information with the financier, who later killed himself in a New York jail cell.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/epstein-survivors-king-charles-congress-b2967136.html