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Congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat representing California’s 17th congressional district, has expressed disappointment after King Charles III reportedly refused to meet with survivors of convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“It’s very disappointing after the British Ambassador [Sir Christian Turner] told me that the King would talk about the survivors and sex trafficking,” Khanna, 49, told Us Weekly in a Tuesday, April 28 statement — the same day that Charles, 77, was a no-show at a roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C., that united Khanna, 49, with Epstein survivors.
“The King’s failure to acknowledge the pain his brother had caused is a moral failure and emblematic of an elite impunity that is an ongoing affront to survivors,” Khanna added.
Among those in attendance at the roundtable was Sky Roberts, younger brother of Virginia Guiffre, an Epstein survivor who also accused the monarch’s brother, former Prince Andrew, of sexually assaulting her when she was a teen. (Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied the allegations.)
Us Weekly has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
Just hours earlier, Roberts, 36, also criticized Charles — who is currently visiting the U.S. upon invitation by President Donald Trump — for not accepting an invitation to the meeting, hosted by Khanna.
“Survivors are here sitting with members of Congress, still fighting to be heard, still pushing for real accountability, while many of the powerful figures connected to these systems remain just out of reach, unable to acknowledge survivors face to face,” Roberts said, per reporting by The Guardian on Tuesday. “You would expect this to be a moment for the king to give a message to the world that he stands with survivors.”
Rep. Ro Khanna of California DANIEL HEUER / AFP
In the immediate hours that followed the roundtable, Khanna also reflected on Charles’ decision to skip the roundtable to members of the press, per reporting by ABC’s Eyewitness News.
“I thought the king owed that to the survivors, given his brother’s serious allegations of abuse, and I thought it would have been an incredible moment and statement to show that it doesn’t matter how much wealth you have, how much power you have,” he said prior to providing a statement to Us. “No human being is dispensable and the survivors deserve justice. He unfortunately declined that request.”
The New York Times reported last week that a lawyer for Charles and Queen Camilla, who joins the king during this U.S. visit, stated that Charles’ omission from the roundtable was due to “ongoing police inquiries” underway in the U.K. and that the king was “unable to meet survivors or comment directly on the matters under inquiry.”
King Charles III Jonathan Brady – WPA Pool/Getty Images
The report, published on Wednesday, April 22, stated that a letter read, “the king and queen have consistently made clear their support for all victims of abuse, wherever and however perpetrated.”
As a result, Charles avoided any mention of Epstein, or his brother’s former relationship with the late billionaire, while addressing Congress earlier on Tuesday.
Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting his trial for child sex trafficking, remains at the center of a criminal investigation currently examining Andrew’s professional activity, specifically allegations the former royal shared confidential government information with the convicted pedophile while he was in public office.
The former prince, who was stripped of his royal titles in October 2025, has repeatedly denied all allegations of misconduct.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). https://www.rainn.org/
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
https://www.childhelphotline.org/
