Giuffre family hold vigil to mark anniversary of her death ahead of King's US visit

Reuters

Family, friends and supporters of Virginia Giuffre held an emotional memorial vigil in Washington DC marking the first anniversary of her death.

With the White House in the background, her brother Sky Roberts spoke of how his sister, a prominent accuser of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, had turned "pain into purpose".

The event was held ahead of the arrival of the King and Queen in Washington DC on a state visit.

Giuffre's lawyer Sigrid McCawley repeated calls for the King to meet Epstein survivors, saying it was a "missed opportunity".

McCawley said she appreciated the concerns about the King not wanting to jeopardise any legal proceedings by holding a meeting, but she thought survivors would have understood if he listened without having to say anything.

There were more than 100 people gathered near to the Washington Monument, including Sydney Beasly, originally from Kentucky.

She also thought the royal visitors should have included a meeting with Epstein survivors during their US stay.

"If the monarchy wants to be relevant in the future, they have to meet all types of people, including survivors, so they can make informed decisions. It's about increasing awareness," she said.

Sky Roberts told the BBC's Newsnight on Friday: "We need the King of England to stand up and show his unity with survivors... And all we ask is for a 10-minute meeting with the King to show him that we're real people, with real feelings."

It's not expected that there will be any meeting with survivors during the state visit, because of worries about interfering with the legal process.

But Queen Camilla will meet representatives of campaigns against violence against women at engagements during the state visit.

The event was a mix of speeches, music and performance, with campaigners holding up posters saying "Survivors are powerful", at a memorial held a year after Giuffre had taken her own life.

She had written a memoir about being abused by Epstein and had been an accuser of the then-Prince Andrew, in a legal action that ended in a financial settlement. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing.

Congressman Jamie Raskin said Giuffre inspired other survivors of Epstein's "nightmarish trafficking operation".

He said the process of holding people to account had become an "irreversible reckoning".

And the Democrat lawmaker blamed an "unequal and morally impoverished society, a legal and criminal justice system contaminated by corruption and privilege and our political system infected with complacency".

An Epstein survivor Wendy Pesante told the gathering: "Today serves as both a memorial and a reminder of the importance of us continuing to come together and speak out."

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