Get you up to speed: Epstein Survivor Plans Vigil Outside White House to Meet King Charles | News UK
Rina Oh plans a mock tea party outside the White House during King Charles’s state visit to urge him to fund therapy for Epstein’s survivors.
Rina Oh, an Epstein survivor, is urging King Charles III to fund therapy for victims, stating it reflects genuine support for their recovery and dignity.
Rina Oh plans to hold a mock tea party outside the White House during King Charles’ visit, emphasising the need for funding therapy for Epstein survivors.
What we know so far
Rina Oh, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, has announced plans to hold a mock tea party outside the White House during King Charles’s upcoming state visit to the United States. Oh aims to reserve an empty chair for the King, hoping to discuss her demands with him.
Oh, who was groomed and assaulted by Epstein at the age of 21, is advocating for the Royal Family to fund therapy costs for survivors of Epstein’s abuse. This initiative has garnered support from World Without Exploitation, a leading anti-trafficking organisation.
King Charles is set to visit the US at the end of April to mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence, where he will meet President Trump. However, it has been confirmed that he will not meet with Epstein’s survivors during this trip due to ongoing UK police investigations related to Epstein. Oh has expressed her determination to be present in Washington, stating she plans to wait outside the gates for the King.
Despite the King’s statement that ‘their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse,’ many advocates, including Oh, continue to press for action on mental health support. Oh has requested that the Royal Family expand funding for survivors not covered under existing mental health initiatives.
Read in full
Epstein survivor threatens to sit outside White House and wait to meet King Charles | News UK
An Epstein survivor has said she is prepared to wait outside the White House to meet with King Charles during his state visit.
Rina Oh is willing to hold a mock tea party with other Epstein victims at the White House gates, with an empty chair reserved for the Monarch to sit down and talk with them.
The campaigner, who was groomed and sexually assaulted by Epstein from the age of 21, wants the Royals to prove they care about survivors by funding their therapy costs.
Her calls for the King to donate to mental health care for Epstein’s victims have been supported by the US’s leading anti-trafficking organisation, World Without Exploitation.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Charles will visit the US with Queen Camilla at the end of April to mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence, where he will meet President Trump and address Congress.
Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who spearheaded the release of the Epstein Files, wrote to the King last week asking him to meet the sex offender’s victims.
However, it is understood that Charles will not be able to meet survivors during the trip.
Oh, who lives in New Jersey, said that would not stop her from visiting Washington DC to see the Monarch.
She told WTX: ‘If the King and Queen really do support the victims, then it would be a nice gesture to meet with some of them. It would show that he cared.
‘I don’t mind gathering a group and going to Washington. We’ll just sit in and have afternoon tea in front of the White House gates.
‘I’ll just sit outside and wait for him.’
She added that they’ll set up a guest chair, with a sign reading ‘reserved for King Charles’.
WTX understands the King and Queen’s position is that they will not be able to meet with survivors due to ongoing UK police investigations into matters related to Epstein.
The King’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by Thames Valley Police in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
There are fears any Royal meeting with victims would risk prejudicing these investigations into Andrew.
Virginia Giuffre accused Andrew of sexual abuse, which he denies.
The King and Queen said in a statement in October that ‘their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.’
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Survivor Teresa Helm told WTX last week she was disappointed the King will not be able to meet survivors, saying a gathering would help police investigations.
Oh has one clear request of the King if she met him: fund therapy for survivors.
‘We want action’
The mum-of-two, who was lured into Epstein’s orbit with promises of an art scholarship before he began abusing her, said: ‘We don’t need any apologies. We want action.
‘If he were really sorry, he would support the victims by making sure they get proper mental health treatment.
‘I know the royal family is very big into mental health care.
‘Some victims are a complete mess. There are lots of non-functional survivors.’
The US Virgin Islands is currently running a $10 million mental health fund for some Epstein survivors, financed by a settlement from JPMorgan Chase Bank over their alleged links to Epstein’s trafficking.
However, only a limited number of survivors- Oh estimates around 200 – who were involved in past Epstein-related lawsuits are eligible, and the fund is due to expire in 2028.
The FBI and Department of Justice estimate that Jeffrey Epstein had more than 1,000 victims.
Oh says that the Royal Family should begin funding therapy for survivors not covered by the Virgin Islands programme and replace that fund when it expires in 2028.
She said: ‘New victims are coming forward every day. The more we speak out, the more people come forward.
‘I know a decent number of women have not joined these lawsuits and are not getting therapy.
‘Victims need continuing mental health care. If they have to stop and go cold Turkey in 2028, it may actually cause them to regress.
‘If you really feel sorry, you will help the victims rehabilitate.
‘It would not be an admission of wrongdoing, but it would mean that the King’s words are not in vain when he said that he supports the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. We would probably respect him.’
Anti-trafficking organisation World Without Exploitation, one of the lead groups supporting Epstein survivors, said they ‘absolutely support’ Oh’s demand.
Their national director, Lauren Hersh, said: ‘For decades, many survivors have carried the weight of unimaginable trauma without acknowledgment or compensation.
‘Providing comprehensive mental health support is not only necessary—it is a moral obligation. If the royal family were to fund these services, it would send a powerful and long-overdue message: that survivors are heard, their suffering is recognized, and accountability matters.’
Oh also pointed to the Royal Family’s long history of supporting mental health causes as a reason why they would want to help Epstein’s survivors.
The King is patron of Combat Stress, where he has taken an active interest in their work to provide specialist mental health treatment to former service personnel with military-related trauma.
He is also the ‘highlight[s] the importance of mental health’ as patron of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are particular advocates for mental health support.
Their Royal Foundation is contributing £1m to develop a National Suicide Prevention Network, and they launched a ‘Heads Together’ campaign to end stigma around mental health in 2016.
Oh also said the Royal Family could set up a scholarship fund for vocational training and higher education for survivors.
She added: ‘Before they met Jeffrey Epstein, a lot of these girls had career aspirations and dreams, and he crushed them. That is what he did with me.
‘A lot of victims never graduated from high school or went to college or had a career.’
The mum says she knows the importance of finding this purpose as she is due to begin a Master’s in Fine Arts in June.