Prince Andrew's Accuser Virginia Giuffre's Death Seen As The Ultimate Blow To The Royal's Reputation

Prince Andrew may spend the rest of his life trying to resuscitate his public image following the death of his accused, Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre claimed that Andrew and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sexually exploited her as an underage girl after she was made a sexual servant of Epstein and his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Royal experts now believe that Virginia Giuffre's death has caused Prince Andrew "irremediable damage and disgrace" as it doesn't "exonerate him but merely closes the matter."

Prince Andrew's image is forever soiled following the death of Virginia Giuffre, the woman who publicly accused him of sexual assault and having ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Giuffre reportedly took her life on Friday at her farm in Western Australia, after years of battling sexual abuse cases against prominent figures.

She previously claimed in one of her lawsuits that she had sex with Andrew three times between 1999 and 2002, while underage.

Giuffre noted in another lawsuit that she was first approached by Epstein's girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2000, after which she was forced to become a sexual servant as the couple pressured her to have sex with Epstein and his friends.

"The death of Virginia Giuffre is a massive shock… and has created further negativity for Prince Andrew," royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News. "No doubt her funeral and the people delivering the eulogies will be a lasting reminder of how they think about the besieged prince and how their message will potentially blacken his tarnished reputation even more."

"This could be a summer of discontent for the royal family as they try to distance themselves any further from scandals," Turner added.

Andrew's hopes of falling back in the good graces of the public again may have been possible but for a 2019 BBC interview in which he failed to discuss his relationship with Epstein and showed no empathy for his victims.

At the time, he rejected Giuffre's allegations, claiming he didn't recall ever meeting her. He also disputed her recollection of sweaty dancing with him by saying he was medically incapable of perspiring.

By 2021, Giuffre took the British royal to court, accusing him of sexual abuse. She claimed he raped her when she was 17 years old.

Shortly after, Andrew stepped back from his royal duties and settled with Giuffre out of court in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. He also agreed to make a "substantial donation" to her survivors' organization.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams has shared that Andrew's reputation has been significantly tainted, and it'll be hard for him to win over the public again with Giuffre dead.

"Giuffre's tragic suicide adds another chapter to the evil legacy of the deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein," Fitzwilliams explained.

"King Charles has unsuccessfully been trying to evict [Prince Andrew] from Royal Lodge, where he has a 75-year lease. Further emails have surfaced showing he was in contact with Epstein longer than he admitted. He joined the royal family for the Easter Service but has no royal role or public support," he continued.

Fitzwilliams added that Giuffre was "ultimately a tragic victim of a brutal pedophile" and that Andrew's hopes of disputing her case "no longer exists" unless he "helps the FBI or takes on some sort of role running the royal estates, or does some charitable work, he doesn't seem to have a future."

British royal expert Hilary Fordwich shares the same views about Andrew's image woes, explaining that Giuffre's death "delivers an irrevocable end to the royal scandal, cementing Prince Andrew's public downfall."

Fordwich told Fox News: "His denials, disastrous BBC interview, combined with the outpouring of public sympathy for her, caused irremediable damage and disgrace for him. His actions solidified the public's perception of him as unlikely to ever rehabilitate his image or return to public duties."

"Her death does not exonerate him but merely closes the matter. The stigma, though, remains with unresolved questions persisting in the public consciousness," she noted.

"What would have been prudent and the only way to, in some way repair, at least to a limited extent, his public image, would have been to have served extremely quietly in some way. Instead, he has spent his time riding around Windsor grounds," Fordwich added.

Epstein committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving several teenage girls and young women.

On the other hand, his partner in crime, Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In a statement shared with NBC News, Giuffre's family described her as a "fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking," adding that 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," they added.