Multi-Million Pound Inheritance Dispute Erupts Following Virginia Giuffre's Death
The family of Virginia Giuffre, the woman who made headlines worldwide with her sexual abuse allegations against Prince Andrew, is now preparing for a bitter courtroom battle over who should inherit her substantial fortune. Ms Giuffre took her own life at her farm near Perth, Australia in April 2024, leaving behind an estate worth millions without a will to determine its distribution.
The 41-year-old had accumulated significant wealth through compensation payments and civil lawsuit settlements related to her allegations that she was trafficked by Ghislaine Maxwell to Jeffrey Epstein and the then Prince Andrew. Her untimely death has created a complex legal situation that multiple parties are now contesting.
The Source of Giuffre's Substantial Wealth
Central to the inheritance dispute is the origin of Ms Giuffre's wealth, which primarily stemmed from legal settlements connected to her abuse allegations. The most notable payment came from Prince Andrew himself - a settlement believed to be around £12 million that he paid in 2022 to resolve the civil case she had brought against him.
This substantial payment, which reportedly included funds from the late Queen Elizabeth II, came with no admission of liability from Andrew, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Beyond the royal settlement, Giuffre also received $500,000 from Jeffrey Epstein in 2009 when she settled sex trafficking and abuse claims against him, followed by an undisclosed amount from Ghislaine Maxwell in 2017.
Maxwell remains imprisoned in the United States, serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein's trafficking network. The combination of these settlements created the multi-million pound estate that is now at the centre of legal contention.
Family Conflict and Competing Claims
Under Western Australia's spousal inheritance laws, Robert Giuffre, Virginia's husband, would typically be entitled to a lump sum payment plus one-third of the remaining estate. However, the situation is complicated by the couple's estrangement prior to her death and divorce proceedings that Robert had initiated just two months before she died.
Court documents reveal that Ms Giuffre had emailed her lawyer stating she did not want her husband to receive any of her money following the divorce filing. The couple had become estranged, with Virginia alleging in private diaries that Robert's behaviour had become increasingly controlling. She wrote: 'The stronger I became, the scarier he became.'
Further complicating matters, it was claimed that Robert was responsible for an assault that resulted in Virginia being hospitalised in January 2024. Despite these allegations, Robert Giuffre was later granted a restraining order against his wife and temporary custody of their younger children. He continues to reside in one of the four properties Virginia owned - a $2.5 million beachside home in Western Australia.
Opposing Robert's claim are Virginia's younger brother, Sky Roberts, and her half-brother, Daniel Scott Wilson, who have hired legal representation to challenge his inheritance rights. The brothers are also said to be seeking control of her charity for sex trafficking survivors, Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR).
Legal Appointments and Additional Complications
The inheritance dispute has become so contentious that Western Australia's Supreme Court appointed lawyer Ian Torrington Blatchford to take interim control of the estate in June 2024. This appointment followed a legal challenge by Giuffre's lawyer Karrie Louden and her housekeeper Cheryl Myers.
This legal development means that multiple challenges to the estate can proceed, along with other civil cases involving Virginia Giuffre's legacy. These include a defamation suit brought by Rina Oh, who claims that Giuffre falsely portrayed her as an accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein rather than one of his victims.
Adding another layer to the complex situation, several million dollars from Prince Andrew's settlement were pledged to SOAR but remain held in a bank account controlled by a third party. The charity's future now hangs in the balance as the inheritance battle unfolds.
Meanwhile, Virginia's paternal aunt, Kimberly Roberts, has entered the fray, stating that the family doesn't believe the brothers have a legitimate claim to the money. She told the Telegraph: 'We don't believe they have a right to it. The estate should go to her children only.'
Her sons, Christian (19) and Noah (18), had previously made a bid to take control of the administration of her estate, highlighting the multiple competing interests within the family itself.
Posthumous Publications and Ongoing Allegations
The court orders also authorise Mr Blatchford to act as legal personal representative regarding Giuffre's memoir, Nobody's Girl, which was published posthumously in October 2024. The book has been hailed for its immediate impact on Prince Andrew's legacy, coming after his royal titles were stripped away.
However, the memoir contains explosive allegations that her father, Sky Roberts, molested and raped her as a child - claims that Mr Roberts has vehemently denied. He has also publicly questioned the official narrative surrounding his daughter's death, stating on Piers Morgan Uncensored earlier this year: 'There's no way that she committed suicide... somebody got to her.'
Western Australia Police maintain that her death is not being treated as suspicious, standing by their original assessment despite the family's doubts.
Broader Implications and Political Fallout
The inheritance battle occurs against the backdrop of ongoing political pressure concerning Prince Andrew's connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Recent YouGov polling shows that 75% of Britons believe Andrew should travel to the United States to testify before Congress about his links to the convicted paedophile, who died by suicide in prison in 2019.
Despite his commitment during his disastrous Newsnight interview to help investigators, Andrew has yet to respond to calls to testify. The Prime Minister has added his voice to those demanding Andrew honour his word, stating: 'Anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it.'
As the inheritance battle progresses through Western Australia's court system, it represents yet another chapter in the ongoing saga that began with Virginia Giuffre's courageous decision to speak out about the abuse she suffered. The outcome will determine not only the distribution of her substantial estate but also control over the charity she established to help other survivors of sex trafficking.
