Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) has called for the British royal family to pay compensation to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, as more files associated with the disgraced financier continue to show a close relationship between him and one of its former members, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, was stripped of his royal titles and evicted from the Royal Lodge in October over the sexual assault allegations against him and his connection to Epstein. At the time, Buckingham Palace said the actions were “deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” expressing sympathy for Epstein’s victims.
But Khanna, who co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act that mandated a full release of the files, indicated on Saturday he wants the royal family to take more responsibility.
“The royal family should be ashamed and horrified. They should be compensating each of the working-class girls who were victims of the Epstein class,” he told British outlet the i Paper.
Khanna’s comments come as a document in a new batch of Epstein files, which dropped on Tuesday, revealed federal prosecutors had evidence that Mountbatten-Windsor “engaged in sexual conduct” with one of Epstein’s victims and threatened to force the then-British royal to speak with U.K. investigators.
The document, dated April 2020, also detailed evidence that Mountbatten-Windsor “was present” for “certain” interactions between a victim, Epstein, and longtime Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Prosecutors also said there is “documentary” evidence that Andrew “had knowledge” Maxwell “recruited females to engage in sex acts with Epstein and other men.”
Still, prosecutors stressed at the time that Mountbatten-Windsor “is not presently a target of the investigation, and U.S. authorities have not, to date, gathered evidence that he has committed any crime under U.S. law.”
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WON’T COMPLETE EPSTEIN FILES RELEASE FOR ‘A FEW MORE WEEKS’
Mountbatten-Windsor previously settled with an Epstein victim, Virginia Giuffre, in 2022 after she accused him of sexual assault, though he has never admitted guilt. Giuffre later died by suicide in April of this year.
In the most recent update on the files’ release, the Department of Justice said they have uncovered at least 1 million more documents “potentially related” to Epstein, adding that the process of redacting and releasing material will now take “a few more weeks.”
