Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Virginia Giuffre, known for her allegations against Prince Andrew, has died at the age of 41, according to her family.
Her family issued a statement confirming that she took her own life at her residence 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 expressed.
“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.”
The police in Western Australia reported that they responded to a call at a home in the Neergabby area on Friday night, where Giuffre was discovered 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,” said a police spokesperson.
“The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious.”
Giuffre alleged that at 17, she was trafficked to Prince Andrew by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, claiming she was ‘forced to have sex’ with the royal at Epstein’s New York apartment.
Prince Andrew has consistently denied these allegations.
In 2022, an out-of-court financial settlement was reached between Giuffre and the Royal, without any admission of wrongdoing from Prince Andrew.
Jeffrey Epstein, in 2019, died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Ghislaine Maxwell received a 20-year prison sentence in 2022 for her involvement in the sexual exploitation of young girls.
Recently, Giuffre shared with her Instagram followers about being involved in a car accident, saying she was given ‘four days to live’ due to ‘kidney renal failure’ from the incident.
She included photos showing extensive facial bruising alongside her post.
Local authorities, however, characterized the accident as ‘minor’ and reported ‘no injuries.’
A month earlier, Giuffre faced charges for allegedly breaching a family violence restraining order in Ocean Reef, near Perth, amid issues with her estranged husband, Robert.
Her case was initially heard at Joondalup Magistrates’ Court in northern Perth on March 14, where she did not enter a plea.
The proceedings were postponed to June 11 for a plea hearing. At the time, her agent stated that Giuffre was ‘looking forward to defending herself against [Robert’s] malicious claim.’
Upon learning 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,” she noted in a statement.
“I will miss her beyond words. It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.