King Charles III's inaugural state visit to the United States as monarch, a six-day trip starting Monday in Washington, is being overshadowed by the ongoing fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The visit, intended to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, now grapples with questions about the royal family's and the UK government's past associations with the convicted sex offender.
The itinerary includes an address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday and a White House state dinner hosted by President Trump and first lady Melania Trump. However, no private meeting is scheduled between the king and survivors of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Texas.
Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has publicly urged Charles to hold such a meeting, arguing it would allow victims to speak directly about systemic failures. In a March 30 letter to Buckingham Palace, Khanna tied his request to ongoing investigations into Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and former UK Ambassador Peter Mandelson, both arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct linked to Epstein. Khanna told The Hill, 'The British monarchy can be seen a relic of colonialism... or it can be a modern force for standing up for women’s rights.'
Buckingham Palace lawyers responded that the king cannot meet survivors while investigations are active, to avoid prejudicing legal proceedings. 'We would not wish to risk significant unintended consequences to the detriment of the survivors in their pursuit of justice,' the letter stated. Robert Hazell, a constitutional expert at University College London, called the decision 'probably the right call,' given pending legal matters.
Epstein survivor Teresa Helm told BBC Newsnight that a meeting would be a 'pretty grand step' in showing support, calling it 'disappointing' if the palace's reasoning is a deflection. Virginia Giuffre, a prominent accuser who died by suicide last April at age 41, wrote in her posthumous memoir that Prince Andrew abused her when she was 17, describing his behavior as 'as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright.' Andrew has denied the allegations and settled a lawsuit with Giuffre in 2022 on confidential terms.
Giuffre's family marked the first anniversary of her death with a butterfly vigil on the National Mall on Saturday, and they plan to join Khanna for a roundtable with advocacy groups on Tuesday morning before Charles's congressional address. The scandal has trailed the royals since Prince Andrew's disastrous 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, which Hazell called 'a complete car crash.'
Queen Camilla's advocacy against sexual abuse, rooted in her own experience of being attacked as a teenager, was noted by Hazell, who said she is 'deeply, deeply sympathetic to victims.' Nonetheless, the Epstein shadow complicates what was meant to be a diplomatic milestone, as the king navigates calls for accountability while avoiding interference with criminal probes.
