Virginia Giuffre’s death gives Andrew tragic chance to face FBI & finally give her justice, says ex-chief prosecutor
VIRGINIA Giuffre’s death is Prince Andrew’s “tragic opportunity” to finally tell the FBI what he knows about Jeffrey Epstein, an ex-chief prosecutor said.
The Duke of York, who Virginia accused of sexually abusing her when she was 17, has so far failed to give any statements to authorities.
He has repeatedly claimed he knew nothing of Epstein‘s criminal behaviour despite their friendship and ignored calls to speak up.
Lawyers who represented Epstein’s victims, however, have argued it would have been “impossible” for Andrew, 65, to not have known about his abuse.
Nazir Afzal, the former chief crown prosecutor for northwest England, has now said Virginia’s death at 41 gives Andrew a new opportunity to “bring justice”.
He told The Sun: “Ms Guiffre, like many victims, has had to fight for justice and it takes courage but also takes its toll.
“It’s extraordinary that the only people to pay the price for Epstein’s crimes against women are women.
“He [Prince Andrew] always should have told the FBI what he knows but her death gives him a tragic opportunity to bring justice.”
Virginia, who was sex trafficked by Epstein, died at her home in Western Australia last night.
Her family said the mum-of-three was a “fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse” but that the “toll of abuse… became unbearable”.
“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” they said.
Virginia was a central figure in the prolonged downfall of disgraced paedophile financier Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, and his warped madam Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence.
After being hired as a masseuse for Epstein, Virginia said she was flown around the world for meetings with men at his behest, while she was 17 and 18.
Virginia alleged she was forced to have sex with the Duke when she was just 17 – a claim Andrew has always vehemently denied.
The case was settled quietly out of court for an estimated £12 million in 2022 – sparing Andrew a humiliating court battle.
In his car-crash Newsnight interview in 2019, Andrew denied he had slept with Virginia on three separate occasions – and even claimed he has no memory of even meeting her.
The royal also claimed he has no memory of a well-known photograph of him with his arm around Virginia’s waist at Maxwell’s house, and has questioned whether it was his own hand in the image.
He told Emily Maitlis: “I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.”
But during the embarrassing interview, Andrew – who was forced to step aside from public duties in 2019 over his friendship with the paedo – vowed to speak to law enforcement.
More than 1,900 days have now passed since, and Andrew has remained silent in what lawyers for Epstein’s victim have branded an “insult”.
Who was Virginia Giuffre?
VIRGINIA Roberts - later Virginia Giuffre, 41, was an American-Australian campaigner and a prominent victim of the sex trafficking ring of Jeffrey Epstein.
She made claims against Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, as well as Brit socialite Ghislaine Maxwell – Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-lover.
Giuffre alleged in court documents that she was procured by Maxwell, 63, the daughter of disgraced tycoon Robert Maxwell, as a teenage “sex slave” for Epstein.
She released a manuscript just hours before Epstein’s death, which added to more than 2,000 documents of a lawsuit pending against the former financier and his pals.
The legal documents were released in a defamation case involving Giuffre, who has claimed in court documents that Prince Andrew slept with her three times.
In 2019, Virginia Roberts claimed that she had sex with Prince Andrew in a toilet when she was 17, after a night where he had allegedly been plying her with vodka in a posh London club.
On February 15, 2022, it was announced that Prince Andrew settled the lawsuit – sparing him a humiliating court battle.
She died by suicide on April 25, 2025 at her home in Western Australia.
It is hoped Andrew could unknowingly hold information that could lead investigators to the “last piece of the jigsaw” to expose the full extent of the couple’s twisted “sexual pyramid scheme“.
In February, Spencer Kuvin – whose clients include Epstein survivors – branded the duke an “embarrassment” and insisted he has “absolutely no care for what the victims went through”.
He told The Sun: “His quote, unquote, admitted friendship with a pedophile is despicable.
“He’s someone not only do I not respect, but someone I think, quite frankly, should be shunned by society in general.
“Not only because of how he’s acted in the past, but even until the present day. He doesn’t act with integrity.”
Mr Afzal previously told The Sun how Andrew could hold key information about Epstein – even if he did nothing wrong.
He said: “Prince Andrew denies any wrongdoing or conduct unbecoming. However, he may have information or evidence that is significant.
“I’ve prosecuted several thousand sexual offences, including those that happened years before.
“They are some of the most difficult cases to prosecute because it’s often one person’s word against another without any supporting evidence.
“I often longed for another witness who saw or heard anything to come forward to strengthen my cases.
“Anybody with information is like the last piece of a jigsaw that enables you to see the bigger picture.”
The solicitor argued that even if allegations against Andrew are false, he “carries responsibility” by not revealing anything he might know.
He added: “Prince Andrew may, knowingly or unknowingly, have that last piece of the jigsaw which leads to serious offenders being convicted and victims getting justice.
“Victims told me that their recovery began when they got justice. If they didn’t, the trauma would continue forever.
“The legal cases speak for itself. The moral and ethical case for helping authorities is that you help victims find peace.
“If you don’t, then you carry part of the responsibility.”
What Andrew said about cooperating with US law enforcement:
PRINCE Andrew appeared to commit to working with law enforcement when he was given a car crash grilling by Emily Maitlis on Newsnight which was broadcast of on November 16, 2019.
And yet ever since the Duke has been accused of ducking and diving after a war of words with US prosecutors over his cooperation – insisting he would help but seemingly failing to do so.
He was accused in 2020 of offering “zero” help to the probe into Epstein.
Here is exactly what Andrew said during his interview:
EMILY MAITLIS: You seem utterly convinced you’re telling the truth, would you be willing to testify or give a statement under oath if you were asked?
PRINCE ANDREW: Well I’m like everybody else and I will have to take all the legal advice that there was before I was to do that sort of thing.
But if push came to shove and the legal advice was to do so, then I would be duty bound to do so.
EM: Because you’ve said there are many unanswered questions, everyone affected wants closure, you would help to provide that closure.
PA: If there was… in the right circumstances, yes I would because I think there’s just as much closure for me as there is for everybody else and undoubtedly some very strange and unpleasant activities have been going on.
I’m afraid to say that I’m not the person who can shed light on it for a number of reasons, one of which is that I wasn’t there long enough.
And if you go in for a day, two days at a time, it’s quite easy I’m led to believe for those sorts of people to hide their activities for that period of time and then carry on when they’re not there.
EM: Virginia Roberts’s lawyers, legal team say that they’ve asked for a legal statement from you. There is an active FBI investigation, would you be willing to provide that?
PA: Again, I’m bound by what my legal advice is… legal advisers tell me.
And in a later statement, Andrew added: “Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk
- HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123