Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most high-profile victims who accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her as a teenager, has died, NBC has reported.
Giuffre, 41, died in Neergabby, Australia, where she lived.
Her family told NBC News: “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.
“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
Giuffre spent decades speaking out about the abuse she suffered from Epstein.
In 2021, she filed a lawsuit accusing the Duke of York of raping her when she was 17 after Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his accomplice, trafficked her to London.
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking in 2021.
A year later, Giuffre agreed to an out-of-court settlement with Prince Andrew, understood to be worth millions of pounds. The joint statement contained no admission of liability.
Prince Andrew denies any wrongdoing.
Source: The New Zealand Herald
