Epstein saga casts shadow over King Charles visit to US

The controversies surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein threaten to cast a long shadow over King Charles III’s upcoming visit to the U.S., his first American state visit since becoming monarch.

The purpose of the king and Queen Camilla’s visit is primarily diplomatic, planned to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. But as the monarchy continues to grapple with the  fallout  of Epstein-related disclosures, the royals’ visit could be overshadowed by questions about former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and former United Kingdom Ambassador Peter Mandelson’s past ties to the disgraced financier.

Their six-day visit is set to begin Monday in Washington, with stops in New York City and Virginia to follow.

Their  official itinerary  includes an address to a joint session  of Congress delivered by Charles on Tuesday, followed by a state dinner hosted by President Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the White House, among other activities.

What likely will not be on the schedule, however, is a private meeting between Charles and survivors of Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is serving a 20-year federal sentence at a low-security prison camp in Texas.

There have been calls  — including from the family of Virginia Giuffre and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who co-authored the bill that compelled the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release millions of files related to Epstein’s case — for the king to have a private audience with the victims.

Khanna wrote in a  March 30 letter  to Buckingham Palace that the meeting would provide an opportunity for victims to “speak to you directly about the ways powerful individuals and institutions failed them,” tying his request to the ongoing criminal investigations into Mountbatten-Windsor and Mandelson.

“The British monarchy can be seen a relic of colonialism and imperialism, or it can be a modern force for standing up for women’s rights and human rights,” the California Democrat said in a statement to The Hill. “I hope he will consider meeting the survivors or calling for accountability in his address.”

Mountbatten-Windsor and Mandelson were arrested within days of each other in February in the United Kingdom on separate suspicion of misconduct charges in connection with Epstein.

Those investigations appear to play a role in why Charles is unable to meet directly with survivors, according to a letter from lawyers representing the king and queen obtained by The Hill.

“While these investigations and assessments continue, Their Majesties are unable to meet survivors or comment directly on the matters under inquiry,” the letter reads. “To do so risks impacting and potentially prejudicing the relevant investigatory work and any criminal proceedings that may follow. We would not wish to risk significant unintended consequences to the detriment of the survivors in their pursuit of justice.”

Robert Hazell, a professor of government and the constitution at University College London, said the decision was “probably the right call,” noting that the monarchs “have to be very careful, given that potentially there are pending legal proceedings.”

But he expressed no misgivings about their attitudes toward the victims, pointing to Camilla’s long history of campaigning against sexual abuse stemming from her experience being attacked on a train as a teenager.

“So you can be in doubt that she is deeply, deeply sympathetic to the victims of sexual abuse of all kinds,” Hazell said.

Epstein survivor Teresa Helm told  BBC Newsnight  this week that a meeting could have marked another “pretty grand step” in the royals’ show of support.

“It would really support and demonstrate this gesture of human dignity that we are seen and acknowledged and respected and worthwhile, worth the king’s time,” she said, adding it would be “disappointing” if the palace’s reasoning is “sort of a deflection.”

Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, wrote in a  posthumously published memoir  that she suffered abuse at the hands of Mountbatten-Windsor after being trafficked to him. She died by suicide last April at the age of 41.

Giuffre’s family marked the first anniversary of her death on Saturday with a “butterfly vigil” on the National Mall, two days before Charles arrives. They are also expected to join Khanna on Capitol Hill for a roundtable with leading advocacy organizations and survivor Sharlene Rochard on Tuesday morning ahead of the king’s address.

Giuffre, who was 17 at the time of the alleged abuse, wrote in her book that the former prince acted “as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright,” and claimed he  used the royal pulpit to smear her  once the allegations became public while he hid behind the walls of Balmoral Castle.

Mountbatten-Windsor has denied the allegations and said he never met Giuffre. He  settled a lawsuit  with her in 2022; however, the financial terms were kept confidential.

The scandal had been following the royal family for years by that point, on the heels of what was widely viewed as a disastrous interview from the former prince to  BBC Newsnight  in 2019. It was Mountbatten-Windsor’s first time speaking publicly about his associations with Epstein and allegations against him.

“It was a complete car crash, and it seems extraordinary that Andrew ever agreed to the interview,” Hazell said. “So ever since then, it was pretty clear that Andrew was very selective, to put it badly, as to what he was prepared to say about his association with Epstein.”

Mountbatten-Windsor stepped back from his public duties days after that interview.

It became difficult for the royal family to ignore calls for accountability in the years that followed, as more and more revelations surfaced. In October, the king announced he had stripped his brother of his royal titles, including the Duke of York, and evicted him from the Royal Lodge.

“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the palace said in a statement at the time. “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.”

The rare move was aimed at preserving and protecting the monarchy, Hazell contended. He pointed to  recent polling data  showing a wide gap between the British public’s attitudes toward Mountbatten-Windsor and their feelings on Charles and the monarchy as a whole.

The former prince has not been charged with any sex-related crimes, as the London Metropolitan Police have  declined on multiple occasions  to open a criminal investigation into Giuffre’s abuse allegations due to insufficient evidence.

Mountbatten-Windsor is, however, facing potential prosecution over allegations that he shared confidential information with Epstein while serving as a trade envoy. He was arrested in February at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

Charles wrote that “ the law must take its course ” in a statement following his brother’s arrest, saying a “full, fair and proper process” would play out with the palace’s “full and wholehearted support and co-operation.”

“If the police do pass evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service and they do decide to prosecute, Andrew will be prosecuted in the Crown Court, which is our highest level of criminal court,” Hazell explained. “And if he’s convicted, it is very likely that he will go to prison.”

This week’s state visit also comes against the backdrop of mounting political pressure in Britain over reports that Mandelson, a former Labour Party minister, failed his security vetting clearance before becoming the United Kingdom’s top diplomat in Washington.

Mandelson was  fired  as the British ambassador to the U.S. last September, as documents released by the DOJ  showed he maintained a supportive relationship with Epstein even after he was jailed for sex offenses. Epstein died by suicide  in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein but resigned from his seat in Parliament  in early February to avoid causing “further embarrassment” after details emerged alleging he received payments from the convicted sex offender two decades ago.

The ex-ambassador was  arrested later that month  in the London borough of Camden, likely related to allegations that he shared sensitive government information with Epstein while serving in the House of Lords.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has rejected calls to resign over the appointment, denying that he knew Mandelson had failed his security vetting before elevating him to the post.

But he also  apologized  to Epstein’s victims in early February for the appointment and for having believed Mandelson’s “lies.”

Some members of the British Parliament have also called on Starmer to scrap the state visit to demonstrate national disapproval of Trump’s critical rhetoric toward the country and avoid potential embarrassment for the king.

As for how Charles might navigate the trip and questions from the press, Hazell said that every detail will have been carefully orchestrated.

“State visits, you will know, are very, very carefully managed, so I imagine they will be desperate to avoid any potential embarrassment,” he said. “No doubt there will be some reporters shouting questions from the back of the crowd, and Charles, I imagine, will have been briefed to ignore them and try not to respond.

“I think if the visit goes off largely without a hitch, they will breathe an enormous sigh of relief,” he added.

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