The amount paid by the Duke of York in an out-of-court settlement to Virginia Giuffre could become apparent as her estate is bequeathed to her estranged husband and three children.
On April 26 her family announced that Giuffre, a victim of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, had died by suicide at her home in Western Australia.
Prince Andrew chose to settle a civil lawsuit in which he was accused of sexual assault. He always denied the claim. The payout figure has never been revealed but it was reported that he paid Giuffre about $12 million in 2022.
Giuffre’s sudden death at the age of 41 now raises questions about who stands to receive what remains of the money.
Virginia Giuffre died by suicide last month
EMILY MICHOT/MIAMI HERALD/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE/GETTY IMAGES
A source close to the Andrew case said that £1.5 million of the payout was deposited directly into an escrow account, a third party fund, which was set aside for a charity Giuffre hoped would help other victims of sexual abuse. Giuffre began to set up SOAR (Speak Out, Act, Reclaim) but the charity was never fully registered and the money was not transferred.
In Western Australia, much like in the UK, the contents of a will — including the value of the estate, the names of the beneficiaries, and details of trusts — become public record once probate is completed. However, sensitive family or financial information, such as assets handed down to children, is frequently redacted if a will is contested. In some cases, a court may seal parts of a will or issue a suppression order to protect minors or victims of abuse.
Andrew’s payout to Giuffre came after a lengthy legal wrangle with his lawyers. Sources close to the civil case said that the duke had a “head in the sand” approach to the allegations.
He is said to have thought the case would “fizzle away” and “run out of steam”. However, it became clear that to avoid embarrassment to the wider royal family, a payout was his best course. It led to his permanent removal from royal duties.
Giuffre’s husband and their children are expected to be the recipients of what remains of her fortune. It is not known if she left a will. In Western Australia, if a person with a spouse and children dies intestate, then the spouse receives the first AS$472,000 (£227,000) plus one third of the remainder of the estate. The children get the remaining two thirds divided equally. This applies even if the deceased is separated by not yet divorced, as was the case with Giuffre.
While she was not known to have an ostentatious lifestyle, she had invested in property with her husband before their acrimonious separation.
In her final months, she appeared to live a solitary existence at the property in Neergabby, a collection of farm houses spread over 40 square miles, with a population of less than 300. On a gate a sign reads “Danger — keep out” and a long dirt track leads to the house.
Giuffre shared a photo online after a bus crash left her with many injuries
Neighbours told The Times they had never seen nor spoken to her, while some were unaware she was living in the area until they saw it on the news. “It was a shock to me when I heard that she lived there,” said one neighbour.
Laura Parker, who runs the Neergabby Community Association, said: “She was not known to the association. She was a private person who lived opposite my place of work.”
One farmer, whose family have lived on the same road as Giuffre’s home since the 1850s, said he met her and her husband when they approached him last year for advice about buying some cattle to establish a hobby farm. He advised them against the idea as their plot was too small but said they kept chickens and horses, as Giuffre and her daughters were keen riders.
• Virginia Giuffre’s battle to escape the past
He said he had not seen her since she moved to Neergabby earlier this year after splitting up with her husband. “I don’t think anyone in the community got close to her but we all feel sorry for what happened. No one realised the situation she was in. They were in the city a lot during the week and treated this place as a weekend place before they split up. The kids used to ride their quad bikes around. They all seemed to be enjoying the block until the split.”
In the nearest small town of Gingin, population of about 850, Giuffre was not a familiar face among the shopkeepers. The owner of a hardware store said she came in a couple of times, including around a week before her death with one of her stepbrothers, who was staying with her at the time. “She seemed like the loveliest person but she was private and obviously wanted to keep it that way,” the shop owner said.
Giuffre’s family in the United States have launched a GoFundMe appeal to raise $15,000 for a memorial tribute, saying the estate could take “years” to settle. “Though our family and many are experiencing an immeasurable sense of grief, we know that this will make us stronger; that is what Virginia would have wanted,” wrote Amanda Roberts, Giuffre’s sister-in-law. “She deserves a permanent mark in this world that demonstrates her lasting impact.”