Prince Andrew has been spotted for the first time since his accuser Virginia Giuffre’s suicide. The Duke of York was seen leaving Royal Lodge in his Range Rover Defender. Sat next to him was his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
It comes just days after the family of 41-year-old Ms Giuffre announced that she had taken her own life after being found unresponsive at her farm in Neergabby, Western Australia, on Friday night. She had become over the years one of the most prominent voices accusing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein of grooming and sexually abusing victims, including herself.
Ms Giuffre also alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein to Prince Andrew at the age of 17 – a claim vehemently denied by the Duke of York.
Giuffre brought a civil sexual assault case against Prince Andrew in the US, and they reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022 in which he paid an undisclosed sum. The settlement contained no admission of liability or apology, and the Duke has always denied any wrongdoing.
In the wake of the claims made against him, Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages, as well as the use of the HRH (His Royal Highness).
He was also given permission the late Queen Elizabeth II to “step back from public duties for the foreseeable future”.
In a statement released on Friday, Ms Giuffre’s family expressed their overwhelming grief at her untimely death, saying: “It is with utterly broken hearts we announce Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” they said.
Tney added: “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.”
Since the settlement, Ms Giuffre – who was born in the US – became a prominent campaigner for sexual abuse victims. She was closely associated with the Me Too movement.
She is survived by her three children.
Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
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