Prince Andrew's hopes of a royal comeback have been branded "delusional" following the suicide of Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accused him of sexual assault tied to Jeffrey Epstein's trafficking network, according to insiders familiar with discussions inside Buckingham Palace.
Giuffre, 41, died by suicide on April 24 at her farm in Neergabby, Western Australia. Her family said in a statement, "Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and s-- trafficking. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright." Her lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, added, "Virginia was much more than a client to me; she was a dear friend and an incredible champion for other victims."
Giuffre's death has reignited public scrutiny of Andrew's past and dashed any lingering aspirations he had of returning to official royal duties. "Andrew does deep down harbor hopes that he can make a comeback - but they are delusional hopes," a palace source told RadarOnline.com. "The door to a return is firmly closed."
The crisis prompted an emergency meeting at Buckingham Palace on April 26 involving King Charles, Prince William, senior advisers, lawyers, and public relations chiefs. "Prince Andrew was pointedly excluded from the conversation," a source said. "He's seen as toxic. They know involving him would make everything worse."
The Duke of York, who stepped down from royal duties in 2022 after settling Giuffre's lawsuit out of court, has remained largely secluded at Royal Lodge, his Windsor residence. Following the news of Giuffre's death, he was briefly seen with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson walking their dogs but has otherwise avoided public appearances, including skipping his regular Saturday morning horse ride.
Friends close to the Duke had previously suggested that recent questions surrounding Giuffre's credibility, particularly after she claimed earlier this year to have suffered "kidney renal failure" from a minor traffic accident, might have offered a glimmer of hope for Andrew's public rehabilitation. However, her death has closed that avenue. "Any notion that the message or her bus crash story could somehow make her an unreliable witness has now disappeared," the insider added.
Despite past public statements pledging to support victims of sex trafficking after his multimillion-pound settlement, neither Prince Andrew's office nor Buckingham Palace have commented publicly since Giuffre's passing. Calls have emerged for Andrew to honor his commitments to fight against the evils of trafficking.
Andrew is also expected to be absent from upcoming royal events, including next week's 80th anniversary commemorations of VE Day, despite his service as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot during the Falklands War. Observers suggest he may not appear publicly with the Royal Family until Christmas at Sandringham, if at all.
