The brother of the late Virginia Giuffre has criticised King Charles III for declining to meet survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse during the monarch’s state visit to the United States this week. Sky Roberts said survivors were “still fighting to be heard” while powerful figures remained out of reach, and called the decision a missed opportunity for the King to signal support for victims.
Roberts spoke at a roundtable discussion hosted by California Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who had written to the King last month urging a private meeting with Epstein survivors. The gathering included relatives of Giuffre, survivors Sharlene Rochard and Danielle Bensky, and representatives from human rights organisations, ahead of the King’s address to Congress on Tuesday.
A lawyer for the King and Queen Camilla said in response that Charles was “unable to meet survivors or comment directly on the matters under inquiry” due to ongoing police inquiries in the UK. The letter added that the royal couple had “consistently made clear their support for all victims of abuse”.
The Epstein scandal has long affected the royal family because of the King’s younger brother, Prince Andrew, who faced allegations from Giuffre that he sexually abused her after she was trafficked by Epstein. Andrew has repeatedly denied the claims and in 2022 settled a civil suit brought by Giuffre without admitting wrongdoing. He stepped back from public duties in 2019 and lost his military titles and royal patronage in 2022.
Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025. In February of that year, Prince Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over alleged sharing of confidential material with Epstein. He has denied wrongdoing and not been charged. The King issued a rare public statement then, saying “the law must take its course”.
Khanna said the roundtable aimed to discuss trafficking and sexual assault, failures in current systems, and actions Congress could take to protect survivors. Roberts told Sky News earlier this week that the King not meeting survivors was a “missed opportunity”.
