King Charles and Queen Camilla and will reportedly not be able to meet with survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during next month’s state visit to the US. The update comes after a top US politician urged the monarch to meet the victims when he arrives for his historic visit at the end of next month.
Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who co-sponsored a law that compelled the US Justice Department to release the Epstein files last year, wrote to His Majesty and asked him to privately meet victims to hear “how powerful individuals and institutions failed them”.
In his letter to the King on Monday, Mr Khanna wrote: “I respectfully ask that you privately meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse, so they may speak to you directly about the way powerful individuals and institutions failed them.”
The monarch’s trip to the US, which coincides with the 250th anniversary of American Independence, has been shrouded in controversy following the Iran war, which the US and Israel are prosecuting. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken out about Sir Keir Starmer‘s weak response to the military operation in Iran.
While the King and Queen will reportedly not be able to meet the sex offender’s victims during this visit, the palace has not ruled out a future meeting. In recent times, Their Majesties have issued a number of statements in recent times showing their support for victims of sexual abuse.
Following the news that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was being stripped of his royal titles and evicted from his home, the King and Queen issued a telling statement, with the final line reading: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
Andrew continues to deny all wrongdoing.
The King and Queen’s trip to the US is about celebrating the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the two nations. It follows an unprecedented second state visit Trump made to Windsor Castle back in September.
The programme of the visit is yet to be announced, but it is expected to include many of the usual elements of a US state visit to the White House, including Guards of Honour and a formal banquet with speeches.
King Charles has also been asked to address both houses of the US Congress, the first time a British monarch has done so in over 30 years. Queen Elizabeth II was the last British monarch to speak in Washington DC in 1991, during a 12-day state visit as a guest of President George HW Bush.
The visit will mark the King’s first state visit to the US as monarch, and his 20th official visit to the country. He has previously visited the US 19 times as Prince of Wales, including with the then-Duchess of Cornwall on their first official tour in 2005 following their wedding.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
