Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre showed ‘no signs’ she wanted to take her own life, claims her lawyer
PRINCE Andrew’s accuser Virginia Giuffre showed “no signs” she wanted to take her own life, her lawyer told The Sun.
Tragic Virginia, 41, was found unresponsive by cops at her remote farmhouse, an hour north of Perth, late on Friday night.
A team of major crime cops raced to the scene and spent between 10 and 12 hours removing evidence at the property.
But her lawyer, Karrie Louden, appeared to distance herself from a statement issued by Virginia’s heartbroken family breaking the news of her suicide.
It is understood Virginia took a pills overdose but questions remain over whether she intended to kill herself.
The shocking twist comes as fresh details of Virginia’s final hours were revealed.
Karrie, who was among the first at the house after Virginia’s body was found, told The Sun Online: “We’ve got big question marks over it.
“There’s suicide and then there’s misadventure.
“I didn’t see her in the room. I wasn’t in there. The family said what the family has said but I’m not going to speculate whether it was suicide or accidental.
“You’ll all be aware that she’s been in hospital. She’s been on medications.
“Has she just taken too many painkillers? Was she intentionally doing it? I just, you know…
“I don’t even know what the cause of death was.”
Karrie, who has represented Virginia since the New Year, added: “She was in a lot of pain but she was looking forward to things in the future.
“She wanted to renovate this house and all sorts of things like that. There were plans that she had for the future.”
“I’d spoken to her in the days before.
“I was meant to be up here today, right now, having a meeting with her so we could sort out some of her legal affairs.
“I was here this time last week and things were positive.
“I’m a defence lawyer, so I don’t like to speculate about things. I like beyond reasonable doubt.
“Until the evidence is in, we’re just, you know, drawing conclusions. Officially, the police told me nothing.
“They didn’t even confirm that she was dead. That’s how little information the police have provided to me.
“This has been a complete shock to all of us.
“If any of us had thought she’s going to commit suicide, of course we would have taken more steps, put her into a clinic or got her some more help.
“When I got the phone call, I was like, are you joking. Because there was no signs that that was something she was considering?”
It could now take up to two years before a coroner’s report is filed on her death.
A spokeswoman for Perth coroner said: “I can confirm Ms Giuffre’s death has been reported to the Coroner’s Court.
“The circumstances of Ms Giuffre’s death will be investigated by the coroner.
“The Court will inform the senior next of kin of those investigations, which are not made public.”
Ms Louden said there were “no suspicious circumstances, as far as we are aware” but added: “Given the recent activities, it’s very likely that we will never know.
“The police were just very, very vague.
“I know that she’s gone but how that happened, I don’t know.
“I’m not sure we’ll ever know. I mean, sometimes the coroner might say it was suicide, the coroner might say it was misadventure, the coroner might say inconclusive.”
Virginia’s body has since been removed from the farm house in Neergabby, Western Australia.
Toxicology tests are expected to be carried out in the coming days.
Up to six police officers – including four from the major crimes unit – poured over the scene after the alarm was raised on Friday.
But cops in Western Australia have refused to give any details on the circumstances.
Ms Louden said: “I’m not aware of a suicide note. I’m not saying there was or wasn’t a note, but I’m not aware of any note.
“I haven’t been told about one, so I can’t say if there was or not.
“The police came in and did all their stuff, and they would have taken all the evidence.”
If any of us had thought she’s going to commit suicide, of course we would have taken more steps, put her into a clinic or got her some more help.
Karrie Louden
The Duke of York, 65, has stayed silent since the death of his sex abuse accuser and his remaining friends have also been reluctant to say anything.
He broke cover briefly yesterday when he and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were seen driving out to take their corgis for an afternoon walk.
It followed suggestions that sex victim claims made by Virginia may have been unreliable.
In an Instagram message Virginia had four days to live after a road crash – but it “turned out to be a fabrication”.
She said she was admitted to hospital after her car was hit by a bus.
But police in Australia said they only had reports of a “minor crash” with no injuries sustained.
Ms Louden said she was with Virginia in hospital when doctors broke the news to her that she only had days to live.
She insisted: “I was a witness to the conversation which was along the lines of, ‘you won’t see the end of the week’.
“And so she has seen the end of the week as X number of days away, and extrapolated from that.
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.
“It was a very difficult time. There was a lot of confusion with what was going on.
“The hospital were extremely unhelpful at releasing information. Yeah.
“Physically, she’s been very unwell for a long time.
“But she’s a very strong person. She’s obviously been through hell.”
Mum-of-three Virginia, who was estranged from her husband Robert, had accused the Prince of sexual abuse on three occasions, including when she was just 17.
Royal outcast Andrew has vehemently denied the accusations, although he later paid her a reputed £12million settlement.
There are now calls for him to “honour” his words when he paid millions to Virginia in 2022 and “pledged to demonstrate his regret for his association with Jeffrey Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking and by supporting its victims”.
Andy’s office and Buckingham Palace both released public statements during the Duke’s highly-damaging China spy drama after court documents revealed his links to alleged spook Chris Yang.
But they have been silent since Virginia took her own life.
As well as missing his horseriding outing on Saturday, he will not join the rest of the royals at next week’s 80th anniversary of VE Day commemorations – despite him seeing action by serving in the Falklands War in 1982.
It is unlikely he will be seen in public until potentially appearing with the Royal Family on Christmas Day at Sandringham.
The Duke first met Epstein in 1999 through pal Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein was accused of abusing up to 36 girls as young as 14.
He had been convicted in Florida in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute but served only 13 months as part of a plea bargain.
A photographer had snapped Andy and Epstein walking together in New York‘s Central Park in December 2010, while the Duke stayed at Epstein’s townhouse.
The paedophile tycoon was later found dead in his prison cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Physically, she’s been very unwell for a long time. But she’s a very strong person. She’s obviously been through hell
Karrie Louden
Later that year, Andrew told a “car crash” BBC Newsnight interview that he stayed with the convicted sex offender as it was the “honourable thing to do”.
Virginia filed her civil suit against Andrew in August 2021.
She alleged she was trafficked to have sex with him in London, New York and Epstein’s Caribbean lair Little St James, dubbed “paedo island”. The Prince has always denied the allegations and claimed to have never met Virginia.
However, a photograph appearing to show them together in a London townhouse — his arm around her bare midriff — was included in her lawsuit against him. Maxwell is also in the picture.
In January 2022, the Queen summoned her son to Windsor Castle, stripped him of royal roles and banished him from public duty in disgrace.
Weeks later, he paid Virginia the millions of pounds in an out-of-court settlement.
King Charles has been attempting to evict his younger brother from his 31-room Royal Lodge, despite his 75-year lease agreement.
He removed Andrew’s annual cash handout and refused to pay for his private security.
The Sun later revealed the embattled Duke had secured funding to pay for his own guards after striking a deal to sell off access to contacts gained during his Pitch@Palace initiative.
He is said to be pocketing millions by flogging introductions from around the world to Dutch company Startupbootcamp.
But his financial dealings have come under close scrutiny after recent court filings showed he met alleged Chinese spy Yang, also known as Yang Tengbo.
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