Prince Andrew seen for first time since accuser Virginia Giuffre’s suicide as he takes drive with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson
PRINCE Andrew has been spotted for the first time since the death of Virginia Giuffre.
The Duke of York was seen leaving Royal Lodge in his Range Rover Defender with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson in the passenger seat.
The appearance comes just a day after Virginia Giuffre, who was sex trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein as a teenager, died by suicide at her home in Western Australia on Friday night.
She had spent years speaking out of her abuse at the hands of convicted sex offenders Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
Cops confirmed her death was being investigated but was considered “not suspicious”.
Virginia told how she was “ready to go” just weeks before her death when she posted a bruised snap from her hospital bed, claiming she had just “four days to live”.
Her caption read: “I’m ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time. My heart is shattered and every day that passes my sadness only deepens.”
The bus accident story took a twist when cops described the crash as minor and said no major injuries were reported.
Parents of children on the bus also spoke out – reportedly disputing the severity of the incident.
The late mum and activist was reportedly fearful that her enemies were attempting to ruin her reputation in the months before she died.
A friend told Mail Online: “Being discredited was one of the many things distressing her in recent months.”
Virginia was apparently “deeply upset” about being mocked over the bruised image she posted of herself in a hospital bed.
Announcing Virginia’s tragic death on Saturday, her family said the toll of her abuse was “so heavy” it became “unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight”.
They said in a statement: “It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia.
“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.”
They added: “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.”
Virginia alleged Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17 – a claim Andrew has denied.
The mum, who leaves behind three children, sued Andrew in 2021, claiming she was trafficked and forced to have sex with the Duke on three occasions when she was a teen.
It was the first time she had brought action against him after going public with the allegations in 2011.
She claimed she was trafficked and forced to have sex with the Andrew for the first time at Maxwell’s house in London after a night out at the club Tramp.
Virginia also claimed she was forced to have sex with the Duke on at least two further occasions by Maxwell and Epstein.
Her legal team argued she was a “frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her” when she was allegedly abused by Andrew, saying “no person, whether President or Prince, is above the law”.
She claimed she feared for her life when she was allegedly forced to have sex with Andrew, who is accused of having been aware of her age and status as a “sex-trafficking victim”.
The Duke has ignored repeated calls to tell US authorities what he knows about paedo Epstein’s criminal behaviour.
In his notorious Newsnight interview five years ago, Andrew vowed to help the probe into Epstein and his warped madam Maxwell.
But the royal has remained silent – and claimed he knew nothing of Epstein’s vile crimes despite their friendship.
Andrew has denied any wrongdoing and has denied allegations made against him.
Virginia’s legal battle with Andrew was settled for an estimated £12million.
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.