Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, has died aged 41.
“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” her household mentioned.
“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
“Virginia was a fierce warrior within the battle in opposition to sexual abuse and intercourse trafficking. She was the sunshine 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.”
Ms Giuffre sued the Duke of York for sexual abuse in August 2021, saying Andrew had intercourse along with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked by his buddy, the billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The duke has repeatedly denied the claims, and he has not been charged with any felony offences.
In March 2022, it was introduced Ms Giuffre and Andrew had reached an out-of-court settlement – believed to incorporate a “substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights”.
“Her courage pushed me to fight harder, and her strength was awe-inspiring,” she mentioned. “The world has lost an amazing human being today.”
“Rest in peace, my sweet angel,” she added.
Ms Giuffre mentioned on the finish of March she had 4 days to dwell after a automobile accident, posting on social media that “I’ve gone into kidney renal failure”. She was discharged from hospital eight days later.
Raised primarily in Florida, she mentioned she was abused by a household buddy early in life, which led to her dwelling on the streets at occasions as a young person.