Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein as a teen, has died by suicide in Western Australia after making a series of troubling Instagram posts.
Ms Giuffre was one of the most prominent accusers of convicted sex offenders Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who she said kept her as a sex slave while flying her around the world and offering to their powerful associates ‘like a platter of fruit.
She alleged they trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17 and was three times sexually assaulted by him – a claim which Prince Andrew has denied. The prince reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022.
The Duke of York was forced to pay out a settlement reportedly worth around £12 million after Ms Giuffre alleged that paedophile Epstein trafficked her across the world to have sex with the prince. He has denied ever having sex with her.
She had allegedly sexually assaulted her three times, in London during a 2001 trip, at Epstein’s New York mansion when she was 17 and in the Virgin Islands when she was 18.
Andrew repeatedly denied her allegations and has said he can’t recall ever meeting her, although a photograph of them together in a London townhouse, his arm around her bare midriff, was included in Giuffre’s lawsuit against him.
The settlement did not involve any admission of liability on his behalf, and he denied any sexual contact with her.
The scandal led to Prince Andrew stepping back from royal life after a disastrous interview with Emily Maitlis, then working for the BBC.
The discussion, in which Andrew made a series of claims – including insisting he couldn’t have been with Ms Giuffre at the time because he was dining at Pizza Express in Woking, and that a medical condition left him unable to sweat – has since gained notoriety and is widely acknowledged to have embarrassed the royals.
Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving dozens of teenage girls and young women, some as young as 14.
The charges came 14 years after police in Palm Beach, Florida, first began investigating allegations that he sexually abused underage girls who were hired to give him massages.
Ms Giuffre is understood to have died at her farm in Western Australia, just weeks after being involved in a car crash which saw her say she had just ‘days to live’. She was involved in a domestic dispute with her husband, who is the father of her three children.
Her family said in a statement: ‘It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia.
‘She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
‘Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors.
‘Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure.’
Her family added that ‘the light of her life’ were her children Christian, Noah, and Emily.
It is said that it was when she held her newborn daughter in her arms that Virginia realized she had to fight back against those who had abused her and so many others,’ they said.
The 41-year-old, born Virginia Roberts, grew to prominence after she went public with allegations against the late financier and called for charges to be brought against him.
‘There are no words that can express the grave loss we feel today with the passing of our sweet Virginia,’ the statement continued.
‘She was heroic and will always be remembered for her incredible courage and loving spirit.
‘In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight. We know that she is with the angels.’
At Peace with the Angels 😇 Australian, we will never forget 🙏
Amen 💥 💫 🙏 💥