Virginia Giuffre had a ‘multimillion-dollar estate’ in Australia (Image: Getty)
Prince Andrew‘s abuse accuser’s family are bracing for a fresh legal battle with her reportedly abusive husband in order to stop him inheriting her wealth, which includes an estimated £7.3million ($10million) from the Duke’s payout, it has been claimed. Virginia Giuffre, previously known as Virginia Roberts, was one of the most prominent accusers of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and also a campaigner for the rights of victims of sex trafficking.
She had reportedly built up a “multimillion-dollar estate” from various compensation funds and civil lawsuit settlements after her Epstein campaign. The American-born 41-year-old died by suicide in April at her home in Australia, where she had been living in the last few years.
But according to new reports, she died without leaving a will, which means that her husband, Robert Giuffre, with whom she was in the middle of divorce proceedings, could inherit as much as a third of her estate under Australian law.
The 41-year-old reportedly died without leaving a will (Image: Getty)
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The Times reported that Virginia’s brothers in the US, Sky Roberts and Danny Wilson, have now hired a lawyer in Australia to file a challenge to her husband’s right to the estate, claiming it was their sister’s stated wish that he “not receive a dime”.
The outlet previously published a story on Virginia’s diary that she kept in the last few months of her life, including other text messages and legal filings in which she accused Robert of being violent and abusive.
Her family even released pictures showing the 41-year-old with a black eye and bruises on her face and arms, from an alleged incident back in January.
While Robert, whom she was married with for 22 years, denied attacking her and claimed that she was the one to hit him during an argument, the family’s spokesperson said that Virginia had asked that these photos be released, adding: “We understand that they are hard to see; they are excruciating for us.”
Following the incident, Virginia lost custody of her children and had a restraining order that prevented her from contacting them.
According to her family, her mental and physical health quickly deteriorated.
Prince Andrew has always denied Virginia’s claims (Image: Getty)
In new diary clippings seen by the outlet, Virginia wrote that Robert would drink and gamble money that she wanted her three children, Christian, 19, Noah, 18, and Emily, 15, to have one day, saying: “I don’t want Robert blowing my children’s $$.”
She also suggested that he had not worked since 2017, adding that he had been “living off money I was awarded as a victim of trafficking.”
Craig Hollett, the Perth lawyer representing Virginia’s brothers, told the newspaper that Virginia left an “informal will” at the time of her death, drafted by her attorney, and an “implied will” that she sent to her lawyers.
An email showed that she wrote: “If I don’t make it please don’t let Rob have any money.”
In the will drafted by her lawyer, the 41-year-old said that she wanted her money to go to her children and her sexual violence support charity, Speak Out, Act Reclaim
A public notice filed last month in the Western Australian Government Gazette showed that two of her children, Christian and Noah, have applied to the court to be appointed administrators of Virginia’s estate.
According to the outlet, they did not respond to a request for comment due to live legal proceedings.
Virginia’s family hope the implied wills will be recognised in court and stressed that they don’t want Robert “controlling” their sister’s “legacy”.
Mr Hollett said: “My educated guess is that there is a strong likelihood it will be accepted.”
Virginia separated from her husband in 2024, with Robert filing for divorce last February.
In diary clippings seen by the outlet, she wrote that he had become “more controlling” after her publicity case against Epstein, adding: “The stronger I became, the scarier he became.”
The 41-year-old brought a defamation case against Epstein in 2015 when she alleged that he, alongside former British socialite and also convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, had sex-trafficked her when she was just 16 years old in 2000.
Virginia Giuffre claimed her huband, Robert, was abusive (Image: Getty)
She also alleged that Epstein forced her to have sex with the Duke of York three times when she was 17 – in New York, London, and the US Virgin Islands.
Prince Andrew has repeatedly and vehemently denied the claims but in 2022, he settled a lawsuit against her for an undisclosed sum, which is estimated to be between £7.3million and £8.8million ($10-$12million) by various outlets, including the Times, without accepting any liability.
His links to Epstein led to him stepping down as a senior working member of the Royal Family in 2019.
Virginia’s estate includes money from the five settlement payouts she received from her sex-trafficking campaign against Epstein, including Andrew’s money.
It also includes money from a civil case settlement in 2017 from Maxwell and compensation from the Epstein estate and JP Morgan.
The Times reported that Virginia’s lawyers requested that the amounts of each settlement not be disclosed, as some were subject to non-disclosure agreements.
Her estate also includes properties like a six-bedroom oceanfront property in Ocean and a ranch in Neergabby.
Virginia’s brother, Danny, said: “I don’t want that money and that wealth to perpetuate, I want it to go to her children, her charity, the survivors she’s left in wait.”