In a significant transatlantic development, American lawmakers have publicly commended King Charles III for his decisive action in stripping Prince Andrew of his royal titles, as the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to release the long-awaited Epstein documents.
Bipartisan Calls for Accountability
Republican Representative Thomas Massie spoke forcefully outside the Capitol on Tuesday ahead of the historic vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The legislation later passed through the House with an overwhelming majority of 427 votes to just one, signalling strong cross-party support for transparency.
'There's becoming a reckoning in Britain that needs to happen in the United States,' Massie declared. 'A prince lost his title, the ambassador to the United States lost his job. We need to see those same kind of consequences here.'
The Kentucky lawmaker was referring specifically to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor being stripped of his remaining royal titles last month and the subsequent sacking of Peter Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to Washington.
Cross-Party Unity on Justice
Remarkably, Massie was speaking alongside Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, demonstrating rare bipartisan unity on this sensitive issue. Khanna went further, suggesting that Prince Andrew could be compelled to appear before US congressional committees.
'I do think that Prince Andrew does need to come and testify at our oversight committee, and that can be bipartisan,' Khanna stated. 'But I share [Massie's] view that the urgency that the British people have shown in getting justice needs to inspire an urgency here in America.'
The California Democrat echoed his colleague's sentiments about broader accountability, emphasising that there should be no buildings or scholarships named after perpetrators of heinous crimes.
The Royal Reckoning
King Charles made the decisive move to strip his brother of his remaining royal titles in October, following renewed scrutiny of Andrew's connections to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Buckingham Palace confirmed that Andrew would no longer be styled as 'His Royal Highness' and that all official patronages and military ranks linked to the crown had been withdrawn.
This marked the final step in a painful scandal for the royal family, after the prince had already been told to step back from royal duties in 2019 following his disastrous BBC interview about Epstein. The situation escalated further when Andrew paid a multi-million dollar settlement to Virginia Giuffre, Epstein's 'sex slave' who accused him of sexual assault. Mountbatten-Windsor continues to vehemently deny these allegations.
Epstein Documents: What Happens Next?
The vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act triggers the potential release of tens of thousands of documents relating to the late paedophile financier. Dozens of Epstein's victims attended Congress to witness the historic vote, which has created domestic complications for Donald Trump, who has previously called the investigation a Democrat-led hoax.
In a dramatic reversal, Trump changed his position over the weekend after it became clear the bill would pass. The legislation - delayed for months due to government shutdown concerns - now proceeds to the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune must decide when to schedule the vote that would send the bill to the President for signature.
Thune indicated that the bill to release the Epstein files could be passed by the Senate as early as today, though complications may arise from the Department of Justice, which could block some files by claiming they would jeopardise an ongoing investigation that Trump recently requested.
The lone dissenting voice came from Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana, who justified his 'no' vote by expressing concern that the legislation as written 'reveals and injures thousands of innocent people.'
Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson, while voting to release the files, is asking the Senate to amend the bill to allow Attorney General Pam Bondi to redact certain documents to protect victims, sources, and investigative methods.
As this transatlantic drama unfolds, the contrasting approaches to accountability in Britain and America remain under intense scrutiny, with bipartisan pressure building for comprehensive justice for Epstein's victims.
