Prince Andrew’s mega payout to Virginia Giuffre has been frozen following her death. The Duke forked out a staggering £12million in an out-of-court settlement in 2022, and the sum is now part of a unfurling fight over Virginia’s sizeable estate.
Virginia was 41 when she died by suicide at her rural home in Western Australia. Virginia’s ex, Robert Giuffre continued to be her next of kin, even though the couple parted ways in a nasty split after 22 years of marriage.
However, her US-based family are set on preventing her estranged husband from getting any of her estate and are readying themselves for a legal challenge to contest his claim, The Sun reports.
The family issued a statement, saying: “Virginia was able to amass settlements, but through this tragedy, funds and estates can take years to settle.”
The mother-of-three was also paid £375,000 by convicted paedo Jeffery Epstein in another out-of-court settlement, in 2009.
Virginia claimed she was sex trafficked to Prince Andrew by Epstein on three seperate occasions, including twice when she was 17.
The Duke of York has always strongly denied the claims.
Virginia found fame in 2015, after she waited her anonymity in the hope to hold Epstein accountable.
A US-native, Virginia moved Down Under in 2002 after meeting Australian Robert in Thailand.
West Australia police reported that they were called to a home in the area on April 25, where Virginia was found unresponsive.
In a heartbreaking tribute, her family said: “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.
“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.”
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