Activists say Charles ‘should order’ his disgraced brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to give evidence on what he knows about Jeffrey Epstein as the monarch and Queen Camilla are due visit the US
The King must protect the honour of the monarchy and get Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to testify in the US – even if he has to drive him to the airport, say protesters.
This was the plea of US feminist organisation Women’s March, as it organised a vigil at the Washington Monument today for late Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre to mark the first anniversary of her death. Activists attended the event alongside members of Giuffre’s family, including her brother and sister-in-law, two days before Charles and Queen Camilla start a four-day state visit to the US and meet President Donald Trump.
Protesters say the Royals’ failure to meet Epstein survivors has left a dark cloud hanging over their trip. However, the Queen is due to meet other survivors of sexual abuse during the visit.
Last week Buckingham Palace defended the decision for the King and Queen not to meet paedo Epstein’s victims, citing the risk of prejudicing ongoing criminal investigations. But Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of Women’s March said: “We are sending a powerful message.
“King Charles should order his brother to do the right thing. He should drive him to the airport himself if need be and put him on that plane to the US, so he can sit in a room with those investigating Epstein’s crimes and tell them what he knows. The King will be in the US dining with Trump and speaking about the special relationship between our countries, but a dark cloud hangs over this visit.
“Andrew is the King’s brother and regardless of whether he has a conflict of interest, he should tell him to speak up to protect the honour of the monarchy. Andrew should have volunteered to be interviewed long, long ago. There should be no preferential treatment for him. He should not be subject to any immunity. He should be subjected to the law of the land, whether in the US or UK.”
She added: “The brave survivors of Epstein’s appalling crimes are here and feel abandoned. King Charles and Queen Camilla have a duty and a moral obligation to hear them.”
Among at least nine Epstein survivors at today’s vigil was Anouska de Georgiou, the first known British accuser of Epstein. The former model, now 49 and living in Los Angeles, grew up in the UK and attended Marlborough College, the same school as the Princess of Wales. She said that, aged 19, Epstein lured her into his dark world and abused her for years when she was “full of hope and the foolishness of a teenager”.
Sky Roberts, Virginia’s brother, who also attended alongside his wife Amanda, said the King and Queen should meet the victims” to acknowledge the “pain and journey that they’ve gone through”. Ms Giuffre took her own life last April, after spending years battling for justice against her abusers. The mum-of-three accused theformer Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her on three occasions in 2001, when she was just 17.
She had been trafficked around the world by Epstein and his lover Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in the United States after a 2020 conviction for sex trafficking. Andrew has always denied the allegations and despite suggesting that he could not recall meeting Ms Giuffre, reached a £12million settlement with her in February 2022 to stop a civil trial taking place.
The former Duke of York formed a close personal relationship with Epstein, staying at his home and inviting him to his daughter Princess Eugenie’s 18th birthday, but he has refused to co-operate with US investigators who want to interview him. Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing regarding his relationship with Epstein.
The King took action in October to finally strip his brother of all his royal titles and honours in disgrace, following lurid allegations of his closeness to the late paedophile. Charles and Camilla stated their “profound concern” regarding fresh allegations involving the former Duke of York specifically concerning his ties to Epstein and potential misconduct in public office.
The King also pledged to support police inquiries involving his brother following his arrest on claims that he passed confidential information to his financier Epstein during his role as a UK trade envoy. In February, after Andrew’s arrest at the King’s Sandringham estate, where he now lives, on allegations of misconduct in a public office, the King said in a statement: “The law must take its course”.
In response to the King and Queen not meeting survivors, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “We fully understand and appreciate the survivors’ and their advocates’ position. But can only reiterate that anything arising from such a meeting that could potentially impact on ongoing police inquiries and assessments, and any potential legal action that could result from that, would be to the detriment of the survivors themselves in their pursuit of justice.”
The Palace added: “His Majesty’s constitutional position, not least with regards to the judicial process, is such that even though the risk may be small that a meeting or any public comments could impact on the proper course of the law, that is a risk that we simply can’t take, for the best interest of the survivors.”
The King and Queen kick off their visit on Monday by taking tea with the President and First Lady at the White House. Amid a chorus of calls across both the UK and the US for the visit to be scrapped, due to Trump waging war against Iran and criticising Britain’s lack of support for the conflict, the monarch is expected to call for unity in an address to Congress on Tuesday. The royals will return to the White House in the evening for a glittering State Dinner, where the King and Trump will deliver separate speeches. On Wednesday they will visit New York to mark the upcoming 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
