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Virginia Giuffre was one of the most prominent accusers connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking network and became a central figure in the global reckoning surrounding his crimes. In 2019, she gave a widely watched BBC interview alleging that she had been trafficked by Epstein as a teenager and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on multiple occasions in the early 2000s — claims Andrew has consistently denied.
In February 2022, Prince Andrew agreed to settle Giuffre’s civil sexual assault lawsuit without admitting liability, according to the Washington Post. Court documents stated that he would make a substantial donation to Giuffre’s charity supporting victims’ rights and acknowledged that she had suffered as a victim of abuse and from public attacks. The financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Giuffre later continued advocating for survivors of sex trafficking and abuse. She died by suicide in April 2025 at age 41. Learn more about her below.
She Said She Met Prince Andrew Through Jeffrey Epstein
In her public statements and 2019 BBC interview, Virginia alleged that she met Prince Andrew through Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell while she was being trafficked as a teenager. Epstein owned multiple properties, including homes in New York, London and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Giuffre said she was taken during the period she alleges the abuse occurred.
Giuffre also claimed she was made to dance with Andrew at a London nightclub before one of the alleged encounters. Describing the experience, she said it was “horrible” and alleged that he was sweating heavily while they danced. Prince Andrew has denied all allegations, and Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. “It was horrible, and this guy was sweating all over me, his sweat was like it was raining,” she said.
She Described an Alleged Encounter With Prince Andrew in a 2019 Interview
In a December 2019 interview with the BBC, Giuffre alleged that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17, describing the first alleged encounter as “quick and disgusting.” She said the experience left her feeling “ashamed and dirty.”
Giuffre claimed she was being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein at the time and alleged that Ghislaine Maxwell instructed her to “do for Andrew what I do for Jeffrey.” Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations. In 2022, he reached a civil settlement with Giuffre without admitting liability.
“I’m calling BS on this, because that’s what it is.”
Prince Andrew says he has no recollection of meeting Virginia Giuffre, nor of any photo being taken with her and he emphatically denies he had any form of sexual contact or relationship with her. pic.twitter.com/aqQ76kpPHI
— BBC Panorama (@BBCPanorama) December 2, 2019
Prince Andrew Denied the Allegations Despite a Widely Circulated Photo
The photo was taken at Epstein’s mansion in New York between 2001 and 2002, and shows Prince Andrew smiling with his arm around her waist. Maxwell is smiling in the background. He denied all of Virginia’s allegations during his November 2019 Newsnight interview. “It didn’t happen. I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened,” the duke said. In his clunky interview, reportedly arranged by his daughter, Princess Beatrice, he made the bizarre claim that he couldn’t have “sweated all over” Virginia, as he had a medical condition at the time that made it impossible for him to sweat.
She Publicly Rejected Prince Andrew’s Denials
After Prince Andrew denied her allegations in his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, Virginia pushed back in her own BBC appearance. “He knows what happened, I know what happened. And there’s only one of us telling the truth, and I know that’s me,” she said.
Responding to what she described as his “excuses,” Giuffre added, “I’m calling BS on this, because that’s what it is.” Andrew has continued to deny the allegations, and the civil case was settled in 2022 without an admission of liability.
Buckingham Palace Denied Her Allegations and Legal Fallout Followed
Buckingham Palace firmly denied Giuffre’s claims in a statement to to CNN, saying, “It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
Following Prince Andrew’s controversial 2019 Newsnight interview, he stepped back from public royal duties. In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II stripped him of his military titles and royal patronages, and he later settled Giuffre’s civil lawsuit without admitting liability. In the years since, renewed document releases tied to the Epstein case have continued to keep both Giuffre’s allegations and Andrew’s role in the public conversation.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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