Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse, has died by suicide aged 41, her family has said.
Virginia Giuffre was one of the most outspoken accusers of convicted sex offenders Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his former girlfriend. She also alleged they trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17, which Prince Andrew strenuously denied.
Her family made a statement on Friday that she had been a “fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse”, and that the “toll of abuse… became unbearable”.
“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” they said.
The statement described the mother of three “as the light that lifted so many survivors” and said she passed away on Friday at her farm in Western Australia.
West Australia police said they were called to a home in the Neergabby area on Friday night, where Mrs. Giuffre was found unresponsive.
The statement continued: “The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious.”
Three weeks ago, Mrs. Giuffre posted on Instagram to say she had been seriously injured in a car accident, which her family later said she hadn’t intended to make public. Local police would later dispute the severity of the crash.
Mrs. Giuffre would make her allegations public and become a campaigner. She claimed that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to Prince Andrew when she was just 17, though the prince would deny all claims of wrongdoing.
Prince Andrew and Virignia Giuffre would later reach an out-of-court settlement in 2022; In addition the settlement would include a statement.
The statement would see The Duke of York express regret for his association with Epstein but contained no admission of liability or apology.
