Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein held a roundtable on Capitol Hill on Wednesday after King Charles III declined to meet with them, despite his brother's connections to the disgraced financier. The event, led by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), came on the same day that the King delivered his first joint address to Congress.
Khanna, a lead sponsor of legislation that led to the release of files related to Epstein, said ahead of the address that it was a missed opportunity for the King not to speak directly to survivors. 'I think it is a missed opportunity, and it would be tone deaf for him not to speak to the plight of the survivors and the crimes of Epstein,' Khanna told reporters.
In his address, Charles referenced 'victims' in a general sense but did not specifically mention Epstein survivors. Among those at the roundtable were siblings of Virginia Giuffre, who alleged before her death that she was trafficked to Prince Andrew, the King's brother. Andrew has denied the allegations and was stripped of his royal titles after revelations of his ties to Epstein.
'You would expect this to be a moment for the king to give a message to the world that he stands with survivors,' said Sky Roberts, Giuffre's brother. Other survivors present included Sharlene Rochard, Dani Bensky and Marijke Chartouni. 'I am disappointed in the fact that it's a good opportunity for him to care about humanity,' Rochard said.
Advocates pushed for the release of Epstein-related files, noting that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said no further files would be released. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico expressed disappointment that the King did not address survivors, adding, 'It's always disappointing that men and power fail to recognize abuse of women.'
Survivors also called for legislation such as Virginia's Law, which would eliminate the statute of limitations for civil claims by sexual abuse survivors. Dani Bensky stated, 'There should be no time limit on trying to figure out what happened to you.' Despite ongoing hurdles, Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) told survivors: 'Your stories are changing the world.'
