Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse, has died at the age of 41.
Giuffre, who was one of the most outspoken accusers of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, alleged that they trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17, a claim which Prince Andrew strongly denied.
In a statement released in the early hours of Saturday, her family said: “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.”
They added: “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 later confirmed that emergency services had recieved reports of an unresponsive woman at a house in Neergabby, a suburb of Perth, on Friday night.
A police spokesperson said: “Police and St John Western Australia attended and provided emergency first aid. Sadly, the 41-year-old woman was declared deceased at the scene.
“The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious.”
Three weeks ago, Giuffre had claimed in a post on Instagram that she had been involved in a serious car accident. Her family later said she had not intended to make the incident public, and local police disputed the severity of the crash.
Virginia was one of the most outspoken accusers of both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Back in 2021, she accused Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was just 17, and sued on multiple charges including battery, rape, and the infliction of emotional distress.
Giuffre alleged that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to Prince Andrew when she was 17.
The prince, who denied all the claims, reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022, and said in a statement that he regretted his association with Epstein. However, the statement contained no admission of liability or apology.
Giuffre said she met British socialite Maxwell in 2000, claiming the British socialite then her to Epstein. This was the start of years of alleged abuse at the hands of the financier and his associates.