Virginia Giuffre, known for her accusations against Prince Andrew, has died at the age of 41, her family has confirmed.
In a statement, her loved ones shared that she died by suicide at her home in Australia on Friday (April 25).
“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” they said.
“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.
“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
Police in Western Australia reported they were called to a property in the Neergabby area on Friday (April 25) evening, where Giuffre was found unresponsive.
“Police and St John Western Australia attended and provided emergency first aid. Sadly, the 41-year-old woman was declared deceased at the scene,” a spokesperson said.
“The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious.”
Giuffre had alleged that at 17, she was trafficked for sex to Prince Andrew by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and was ‘forced to have sex’ with the royal at Epstein’s New York residence.
Prince Andrew has consistently denied all accusations made against him.
In 2022, Giuffre and Prince Andrew reached a financial settlement outside of court, with the royal making no admission of wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. In 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her involvement in the abuse of young girls.
Only three weeks ago, Giuffre posted on Instagram, revealing she had been in a car accident and was given ‘four days to live’ after suffering ‘kidney renal failure’ due to the crash.
She shared several photos alongside the announcement, showing significant bruising on her face.
However, local police disputed the seriousness of the incident, calling it a ‘minor crash’ with ‘no reported injuries.’
A month earlier, Giuffre had faced charges for breaching a family violence restraining order in Ocean Reef, near Perth, amid reported conflicts with her estranged husband, Robert.
Her case was first heard at Joondalup Magistrates’ Court in northern Perth on March 14, where she did not enter a plea.
The case had been adjourned to June 11 for a plea hearing, while her agent stated at the time that Giuffre ‘looks forward to defending herself against [Robert’s] malicious claim.’
Following news of her passing, Giuffre’s publicist, Dini von Mueffling, remembered the mother-of-three as ‘deeply loving, wise and funny.’
“She adored her children and many animals. She was always more concerned with me than with herself,” von Mueffling said in a statement.
“I will miss her beyond words. It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.”