Woman who accused Britain's Prince Andrew in Epstein sex trafficking scandal has died

The pistillate who accused Britain's Prince Andrew and different influential men of sexually exploiting her arsenic a teen trafficked by financier Jeffrey Epstein has died. She was 41.

Virginia Giuffre died by termination Friday astatine her workplace successful Western Australia, her publicist confirmed.

“Deeply loving, omniscient and funny, she was a beacon to different survivors and victims,” publicist Dini von Mueffling said successful a statement. “She adored her children and galore animals. She was ever much acrophobic with maine than with herself. I volition miss her beyond words. It was the privilege of a beingness to correspond her.”

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The American-born Giuffre, who lived successful Australia for years, became an advocator for enactment trafficking survivors aft emerging arsenic a cardinal fig successful Epstein's prolonged downfall.

The wealthy, well-connected New York wealth manager killed himself successful August 2019 portion awaiting proceedings connected U.S. federal enactment trafficking charges involving dozens of teenage girls and young women, immoderate arsenic young arsenic 14. The charges came 14 years aft constabulary successful Palm Beach, Florida, archetypal began investigating allegations that helium sexually abused underage girls who were hired to springiness him massages.

Giuffre came guardant publically aft the archetypal probe ended successful an 18-month Florida jailhouse word for Epstein, who made a concealed deal to debar national prosecution by pleading blameworthy alternatively to comparatively insignificant state-level charges of soliciting prostitution. He was released successful 2009.

In consequent lawsuits, Giuffre said she was a teenage spa attendant astatine Mar-a-Lago — President Donald Trump's Palm Beach nine — erstwhile she was approached successful 2000 by Epstein's woman and aboriginal employee, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Giuffre said Maxwell hired her arsenic a masseuse for Epstein, but the mates efficaciously made her a intersexual servant, pressuring her into gratifying not lone Epstein but his friends and associates. Giuffre she was flown astir the satellite for assignations with men including Prince Andrew portion she was 17 and 18.

The men denied it and assailed Giuffre's credibility. She acknowledged changing immoderate cardinal details of her account, including the property astatine which she archetypal met Epstein.

But galore parts of her communicative were supported by documents, witnesser grounds and photos — including 1 of her and Andrew, with his his limb astir her bare midriff, successful Maxwell’s London townhouse.

Giuffre said successful 1 of her lawsuits that she had enactment with the royal 3 times: successful London during her 2001 trip, astatine Epstein’s New York mansion erstwhile she was 17 and successful the Virgin Islands erstwhile she was 18.

“Ghislaine said, ‘I privation you to bash for him what you bash for Epstein,’” Giuffre told NBC News’ “Dateline” successful September 2019.

Andrew categorically rejected Giuffre’s allegations and said helium didn't callback having met her.

His denials blew up successful his face during a November 2019 BBC interview. Viewers saw a prince who proffered funny rebuttals — specified arsenic disputing Giuffre's recollection of sweaty dancing by saying helium was medically incapable of perspiring — and showed nary empathy for the women who said Epstein abused them.

Within days of the interview, Andrew stepped down from his royal duties. He settled with Giuffre successful 2022 for an undisclosed sum, agreeing to marque a “substantial donation” to her survivors' organization. A connection filed successful tribunal said that the prince acknowledged Epstein was a enactment trafficker and Giuffre “an established unfortunate of abuse.”

She besides filed, and successful astatine slightest immoderate cases settled, lawsuits against Epstein and others connected to him. In 1 case, she dropped her claims against a salient U.S. attorney, saying she mightiness person erred successful identifying him arsenic 1 of the men to whom Epstein supplied her.

Epstein's termination put an extremity to his accusers' hopes of holding him criminally accountable.

Maxwell was convicted successful 2021 connected national enactment trafficking and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to 20 years successful prison. She said said she wasn’t to blasted for Epstein’s abuse.

Prosecutors elected not to see Giuffre's allegations successful the Maxwell case, but Giuffre aboriginal told the court that the British socialite had "opened the doorway to hell.”

Giuffre, calved Virginia Roberts, told interviewers that her puerility was shattered erstwhile she was sexually abused arsenic a grade-schooler by a antheral her household knew. She aboriginal ran distant from location and endured much abuse, she said.

She said she met her now-husband successful 2002 portion taking massage grooming successful Thailand astatine Epstein's behest. She married, moved to Australia and had a family.

Giuffre founded an advocacy charity, SOAR, successful 2015.

Giuffre was hospitalized aft a superior accident, her publicist said past month. She didn’t reply questions astir the date, location, quality oregon different specifics of the mishap and astir the accuracy of an Instagram station that appeared to travel from Giuffre connected Sunday. The station said she had been successful a car that was deed by a schoolhouse autobus and her prognosis was dire.

The AP does not place radical who accidental they were victims of intersexual battle unless they person travel guardant publicly.

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