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Virginia Giuffre, Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew Abuse Accuser, Dies by Suicide At Age 41.
Virginia Giuffre, Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew Abuse Accuser, Dies by Suicide at Age 41
Giuffre has died by suicide, according to a statement from her family to NBC News
Virginia Giuffre, the woman who has accused deceased convicted sëx offender Jeffery Epstein and Prince Andrew of sexµal abuse, has died by suicide, according to a statement from her family to NBC News.
According to the outlet, citing her family, Giuffre died in Neergabby, Australia, her residence of the past several years.
"It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia," her family statement said. "She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexµal abuse and sëx trafficking.
"Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexµal abuse and sëx trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors," the statement continued. “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight."
Giuffre has been outspoken about the abuse she experienced in the past. In 2000, Giuffre was 16 years old when she was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell to work for Epstein.
Giuffre has said the pair groomed her and forced her to have sëx with Epstein and others as part of an elaborate sëx ring, from which she escaped in 2002. Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while in a New York City jail awaiting trial on child sëx trafficking charges.
Giuffre has also said that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to rich and powerful men, including Prince Andrew, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. (Maxwell is currently serving a 20 year sentence in federal prison after being convicted of child sëx trafficking in 2021 in connection with Epstein, but not Prince Andrew.)
Giuffre spoke out on X, formerly Twitter, following Maxwell's verdict, saying, "My soul yearned for justice for years and today the jury gave me just that. I will remember this day always. Having lived with the horrors of Maxwell's abuse, my heart goes out to the many other girls and young women who suffered at her hands and whose lives she destroyed."
(She was not included in the trial against Maxwell.)
Giuffre continued, "I hope that today is not the end but rather another step in justice being served. Maxwell did not act alone. Others must be held accountable. I have faith that they will be."
In 2021, Giuffre claimed in a lawsuit filed against Prince Andrew in New York that the royal forced her to have sëx with him three times between 1999 and 2002 in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by Epstein.
In a previous statement shared with PEOPLE, Giuffre said, “I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one's life by speaking out and demanding justice."
The two reached an out-of-court settlement in February 2022. The amount was not disclosed.
Giuffre said in a 2019 Panorama interview that when she was brought to London by Epstein in 2001, the teenager was introduced to Prince Andrew and — along with Epstein and Maxwell — was taken to Tramp night club, where she said the royal got her a drink and asked her dance in a VIP section.
"[Prince Andrew] is the most hideous dancer I’ve ever seen in my life. I mean it was horrible, and this guy was sweating all over me, like his sweat was like it was raining basically everywhere. I was just grossed out from it, but I knew I had to keep him happy because that’s what Jeffrey and Ghislaine would have expected from me.”
Prince Andrew defended himself in a 2019 BBC interview in which he addressed his relationship with Epstein and Giuffre's allegations, "I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever. It just never happened."
He also refuted Giuffre’s allegations by saying that he wouldn’t have known where the bar was to get her a drink and that he had a condition that meant he didn’t sweat.
The prince also suggested that a photograph of him and Giuffre, with his arm around her waist, was doctored. But Giuffre told the BBC that the photo is genuine and she gave the original to the FBI in 2011.
Following the interview's backlash, Prince Andrew announced that he would be "stepping back" from public duties.
Giuffre has since founded Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR), a non-profit organization which provides support for survivors of sexµal assault.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
If you or someone you know has been sexµally assaulted, please contact the National sexµal Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
Giuffre has died by suicide, according to a statement from her family to NBC News
Virginia Giuffre, the woman who has accused deceased convicted sëx offender Jeffery Epstein and Prince Andrew of sexµal abuse, has died by suicide, according to a statement from her family to NBC News.
According to the outlet, citing her family, Giuffre died in Neergabby, Australia, her residence of the past several years.
"It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia," her family statement said. "She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexµal abuse and sëx trafficking.
"Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexµal abuse and sëx trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors," the statement continued. “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight."
Giuffre has been outspoken about the abuse she experienced in the past. In 2000, Giuffre was 16 years old when she was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell to work for Epstein.
Giuffre has said the pair groomed her and forced her to have sëx with Epstein and others as part of an elaborate sëx ring, from which she escaped in 2002. Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while in a New York City jail awaiting trial on child sëx trafficking charges.
Giuffre has also said that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to rich and powerful men, including Prince Andrew, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. (Maxwell is currently serving a 20 year sentence in federal prison after being convicted of child sëx trafficking in 2021 in connection with Epstein, but not Prince Andrew.)
Giuffre spoke out on X, formerly Twitter, following Maxwell's verdict, saying, "My soul yearned for justice for years and today the jury gave me just that. I will remember this day always. Having lived with the horrors of Maxwell's abuse, my heart goes out to the many other girls and young women who suffered at her hands and whose lives she destroyed."
(She was not included in the trial against Maxwell.)
Giuffre continued, "I hope that today is not the end but rather another step in justice being served. Maxwell did not act alone. Others must be held accountable. I have faith that they will be."
In 2021, Giuffre claimed in a lawsuit filed against Prince Andrew in New York that the royal forced her to have sëx with him three times between 1999 and 2002 in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by Epstein.
In a previous statement shared with PEOPLE, Giuffre said, “I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one's life by speaking out and demanding justice."
The two reached an out-of-court settlement in February 2022. The amount was not disclosed.
Giuffre said in a 2019 Panorama interview that when she was brought to London by Epstein in 2001, the teenager was introduced to Prince Andrew and — along with Epstein and Maxwell — was taken to Tramp night club, where she said the royal got her a drink and asked her dance in a VIP section.
"[Prince Andrew] is the most hideous dancer I’ve ever seen in my life. I mean it was horrible, and this guy was sweating all over me, like his sweat was like it was raining basically everywhere. I was just grossed out from it, but I knew I had to keep him happy because that’s what Jeffrey and Ghislaine would have expected from me.”
Prince Andrew defended himself in a 2019 BBC interview in which he addressed his relationship with Epstein and Giuffre's allegations, "I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever. It just never happened."
He also refuted Giuffre’s allegations by saying that he wouldn’t have known where the bar was to get her a drink and that he had a condition that meant he didn’t sweat.
The prince also suggested that a photograph of him and Giuffre, with his arm around her waist, was doctored. But Giuffre told the BBC that the photo is genuine and she gave the original to the FBI in 2011.
Following the interview's backlash, Prince Andrew announced that he would be "stepping back" from public duties.
Giuffre has since founded Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR), a non-profit organization which provides support for survivors of sexµal assault.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
If you or someone you know has been sexµally assaulted, please contact the National sexµal Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.