King Charles is heading to the United States later this month, but his visit is already being overshadowed by calls from Epstein survivors and US lawmakers demanding a face-to-face meeting. Buckingham Palace has declined the request, and the backlash is growing.
According to BBC, the family of the late Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent accusers of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, publicly called on the king to sit down with survivors during his April 27-30 state visit to Washington, D.C. The trip lands just two days after the one-year anniversary of Giuffre’s death, which was ruled a suicide in April 2025.
“We strongly urge King Charles to meet with us and survivors and hear what we have to say,” Sky and Amanda Roberts, Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law, said in a statement to Reuters. “We are thankful to him for heeding our sister’s allegations against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and for his decisive action in stripping his brother from his position as a prince.”
Palace declines, citing ongoing investigations
Buckingham Palace did not respond to Reuters when asked about the Giuffre family’s request. Officials have previously stated that the king cannot involve himself while police investigations connected to Epstein’s circle remain active in the UK, including those involving his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The Roberts family said they hope direct dialogue with Charles could push the British government to take further action against Epstein’s co-conspirators. They were “thankful” for the king’s past steps but made clear they want more.
US congressman adds pressure
California Representative Ro Khanna also sent an open letter to the king, calling the potential meeting a “defining moment for the monarchy.” Writing in an interview with the Times of London covered by the Press Democrat, Khanna said the king could use the moment to show “that the modern monarchy is going to be a force for public good.”
“This could be a defining moment for the monarchy to keep it relevant to my generation in the 21st century,” Khanna said.
The congressman authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which compelled the Justice Department to release its final batch of Epstein-related documents. In his letter to Charles, Khanna noted that both Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and former UK official Peter Mandelson had been asked to testify before Congress about their ties to Epstein. Andrew did not respond to the request. Also, Buckingham Palace quickly rejected Khanna’s request after it went public.
Andrew’s shadow over the visit
The pressure on Charles stems directly from his brother’s long association with Epstein. Before her death, Virginia Giuffre alleged that Epstein trafficked her to Andrew when she was 17.
Andrew, now stripped of his royal titles and known officially as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has always denied the allegations. He reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing and has said he has no memory of ever meeting her.
UK authorities have also charged both Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson in connection with their ties to Epstein. Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office earlier this year after the Epstein files were released.
Melania Trump has also addressed the Epstein controversy on her end. She broke her silence on Jeffrey Epstein ties, calling them “lies,” as scrutiny around the former president’s own history with the late financier intensified following the document release.
The visit comes at a delicate moment
Charles and Queen Camilla are making the Washington trip to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. It also arrives as Britain works to repair strained relations with President Donald Trump following tensions over the Iran war.
Trump himself has downplayed the Epstein scandal. In March 2025, he said in the Oval Office: “So, this is a Democrat hoax that never ends.” That position makes a royal meeting with Epstein survivors diplomatically sensitive, as any such engagement risks antagonizing the host country’s head of state.
The Epstein case has continued to generate political fallout across Washington. A separate controversy involving Kristi Noem’s husband recently surfaced, adding to a broader pattern of powerful figures being drawn into uncomfortable public scrutiny. For King Charles, how he handles the survivors’ request in Washington could define how his US visit is remembered long after the royal pageantry fades.
