Congressman Ro Khanna<\/strong>, a Democrat representing California\u2019s 17th congressional district,\u00a0 has expressed disappointment after King Charles III<\/strong> reportedly refused to meet with survivors of convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very disappointing after the British Ambassador [Sir Christian Turner<\/strong>] told me that the King would talk about the survivors and sex trafficking,\u201d Khanna, 49, told Us Weekly<\/em> in a Tuesday, April 28 statement \u2014 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe King\u2019s 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,\u201d Khanna added.<\/p>\n Among those in attendance at the roundtable was Sky Roberts<\/strong>, younger brother of Virginia Guiffre<\/strong>, an Epstein survivor who also accused the monarch\u2019s brother, former Prince Andrew<\/strong>, of sexually assaulting her when she was a teen. (Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied the allegations.)<\/p>\n Us Weekly<\/em> has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.<\/p>\n Just hours earlier, Roberts, 36, also criticized Charles \u2014 who is currently visiting the U.S. upon invitation by President Donald Trump<\/strong> \u2014 for not accepting an invitation to the meeting, hosted by Khanna.<\/p>\n \u201cSurvivors 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,\u201d Roberts said, per reporting by The Guardian<\/em> on Tuesday. \u201cYou would expect this to be a moment for the king to give a message to the world that he stands with survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n In the immediate hours that followed the roundtable, Khanna also reflected on Charles\u2019 decision to skip the roundtable to members of the press, per reporting by ABC\u2019s Eyewitness News<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought the king owed that to the survivors, given his brother\u2019s serious allegations of abuse, and I thought it would have been an incredible moment and statement to show that it doesn\u2019t matter how much wealth you have, how much power you have,\u201d he said prior to providing a statement to Us<\/em>. \u201cNo human being is dispensable and the survivors deserve justice. He unfortunately declined that request.\u201d<\/p>\n The New York Times<\/em> reported last week that a lawyer for Charles and Queen Camilla<\/strong>, who joins the king during this U.S. visit, stated that Charles\u2019 omission from the roundtable was due to \u201congoing police inquiries\u201d underway in the U.K. and that the king was \u201cunable to meet survivors or comment directly on the matters under inquiry.\u201d<\/p>\n The report, published on Wednesday, April 22, stated that a letter read, \u201cthe king and queen have consistently made clear their support for all victims of abuse, wherever and however perpetrated.\u201d<\/p>\n As a result, Charles avoided any mention of Epstein, or his brother\u2019s former relationship with the late billionaire, while addressing Congress earlier on Tuesday.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s professional activity, specifically allegations the former royal shared confidential government information with the convicted pedophile while he was in public office.<\/p>\n![\"GettyImages-2246746935-Khanna.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2246746935-Khanna.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Rep. Ro Khanna of California<\/span> DANIEL HEUER \/ AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"GettyImages-1233980062-Charles.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1233980062-Charles.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n King Charles III<\/span> Jonathan Brady – WPA Pool\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-narrow.jpg\")
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