King Charles is facing a brutal wave of backlash after critics accused him of ignoring Jeffrey Epstein’s victims during his high-profile state visit to the United States.
The monarch, 77, traveled to America with Queen Camilla for a state tour packed with royal pageantry, political meetings, and a formal dinner with President Donald Trump. But while the trip was meant to highlight the so-called special relationship between the U.S. and Britain, it has now been overshadowed by a scandal the royal family still cannot shake.
Critics say Charles missed a major opportunity to address the pain of Epstein survivors and confront the lingering questions surrounding his disgraced brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Instead, the king stayed quiet.
And for some, that silence spoke volumes.
Royal watchers had been waiting to see whether Charles would directly mention the Epstein scandal during his 20-minute speech before members of Congress. But the monarch avoided naming Epstein, Andrew, or the survivors tied to the explosive case.
Instead, Charles offered only a vague reference to both nations supporting “victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today.”
That was not enough for advocates who say the royal family has spent years trying to run from Andrew’s connection to the dead sex trafficker.
Florida attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represents several Epstein victims, said the king’s refusal to directly address the matter was deeply frustrating.
“It’s incredibly frustrating that the monarchy seems to want to distance themselves from one of their own,” Kuvin said, referring to Andrew.
He added that the silence makes the royal family look “complicit” in Andrew’s behavior.
Andrew has long denied any wrongdoing. But in 2022, he settled a sex abuse lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most well-known accusers, for a reported $16 million.
The scandal cost Andrew his royal role, his military titles, and much of his public standing. But for many survivors and their advocates, the damage goes far beyond one disgraced prince.
They want answers from the institution that protected him for decades.
California Rep. Ro Khanna, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee investigating Epstein’s operation in the U.S., said Buckingham Palace allegedly ignored an invitation for Charles to meet with survivors during his visit.
Khanna said he had been told by the British ambassador that the king would speak about survivors and sex trafficking.
That apparently did not happen.
“It’s very disappointing,” Khanna said.
He went even further, calling Charles’ failure to acknowledge the pain tied to Andrew a “moral failure” and a symbol of “elite impunity.”
The anger comes as Andrew remains under a dark cloud in Britain.
Authorities in the U.K. have reportedly been examining issues connected to Andrew, including whether he shared sensitive information while serving as Britain’s trade envoy. The Crown Prosecution Service has also been advising police departments looking into matters tied to the former prince.
Andrew has not been charged.
Still, the scandal has continued to haunt the House of Windsor.
The late Queen Elizabeth was often accused by critics of protecting Andrew, who was widely believed to be her favorite son. Charles, after becoming king, moved to strip Andrew of royal privileges and force him further out of public life.
But critics say the king’s actions have not gone far enough.
That criticism intensified after Charles gave a royal honor to Charlotte Manley, Andrew’s former private secretary, who has reportedly been described as a material witness in a U.K. investigation tied to Andrew’s dealings.
To royal insiders, the optics could not be worse.
One source claimed Charles is deeply worried about what could still come out.
“Charles is shaking in his boots that all this information is coming out about Andrew, The Firm and his mother’s inaction,” the insider said.
For the monarchy, the timing is especially damaging.
Charles’ U.S. visit was supposed to project strength, dignity, and stability. Instead, it reopened one of the ugliest chapters in modern royal history.
The king may have tried to dodge the Epstein scandal while standing on American soil.
But the victims, the questions, and Andrew’s long shadow are not going away.
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