The death of Virginia Giuffre brings to a tragic close the most unedifying and damaging royal scandal in living memory.

Giuffre, who has died by suicide at her farm in Australia, will be remembered as the determined survivor of sex trafficking and abuse who helped to catalyse the downfall of Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and, in the court of public opinion, the Duke of York.

Virginia Giuffre, with a photo of herself as a teen, when she said she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew, among others.Credit: TNS via Getty Images

She was a “fierce warrior”, her family said in a statement, and “will always be remembered for her incredible courage”.

Her tenacity in pursuing the duke, whom she accused of sexually assaulting or raping her when she was 17 after she was allegedly trafficked to London, led to him “stepping back” from public life in 2019 – and to his failure to return to it since.

Prince Andrew has always denied wrongdoing, and the claims have never been tested in court. He has never been arrested.

In 2022, Giuffre agreed to an out-of-court settlement with Prince Andrew, understood to be worth millions of dollars, but with no admission of liability.

In a now-notorious interview on the BBC’s........

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