Prince Andrew’s accuser was let down by U.K. police who “never took her seriously” over allegations she was trafficked to London to have sex with the royal, her biographer, Nigel Cawthorne, told Regalrumination.com.

Virginia Giuffre’s family said on Friday that she “lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse.”

Giuffre had been among the most prominent women to publicly level allegations of grooming and abuse against .

She also said that as a 17-year-old she was trafficked to London, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands to have sex with in 2001. Andrew has strongly denied the allegations.

Giuffre complained to London’s Metropolitan Police, who reviewed the available evidence on three separate occasions, most recently in 2021, but each time declined to launch a full investigation.

Cawthorne, author of the biography Virginia Giuffre, told Regalrumination.com: “It’s a terrible tragedy. She’s been through so much.

“I kind of blame Scotland Yard for it because they never took her seriously. If someone accuses someone of rape and the authorities don’t look into it that must be very distressing.”

Cawthorne is an author and journalist who has written more than 200 books on a range of subjects including the British .

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Our thoughts are with Ms Giuffre’s family and friends following her death. In 2015 we were made aware of allegations around non-recent trafficking for sexual exploitation. This related to events outside the UK and an allegation of trafficking to central London in March 2001.

“Officers assessed the available evidence, interviewed the complainant, liaised with other law enforcement agencies who led investigations into these matters and obtained early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.

“Following the legal advice, it was clear that any investigation into human trafficking would be largely focused on activities and relationships outside the UK.

“Officers therefore concluded that the Met was not the appropriate authority to conduct enquiries in these circumstances and, in November 2016, a decision was made that this matter would not proceed to a full criminal investigation. That decision was reviewed in August 2019. In November 2019, the Met confirmed that it would remain unchanged.”

In 2021, when the most recent review was conducted, Sigrid McCawley, Giuffre’s attorney at Boies Schiller Flexner, told The Sunday Times: “Given the clear and compelling evidence implicating Prince Andrew, the Metropolitan Police should reopen its investigation and stand by their statement that no one is above the law.”

Then Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick had said “no one is above the law” at the point she asked her team to “have another look at the material.”

Giuffre’s death will be the subject of a coroner’s inquest, which will likely explore multiple factors that may have influenced her emotional state at the time of her death, including those not related to the police or Prince Andrew.

However, Cawthorne’s point about the police investigation may be relevant to the long-term picture. Whatever was happening in her life in the months immediately before her death, her family clearly do believe her experience of abuse is a relevant factor.

The statement announcing Giuffre’s death, released by her family on Friday, said she “lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.”

“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” the statement added. “She was the light that lifted so many survivors.

“Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure. The light of her life were her children Christian, Noah, and Emily.”

In addition to her experiences of abuse, Giuffre had said on social media that this year had been particularly difficult for her.

She was a passenger in a car that collided with a bus in Neergabby, in Western Australia, on March 24.

Giuffre also lost custody of her children, had made a domestic violence allegation against her ex-husband Robert Giuffre and was herself being prosecuted for violating a family violence restraining order Robert Giuffre had obtained against her.

Sky Roberts, her brother, told People the restraining order was a product of the fact her husband had provided his allegation to police before her: “He just put his in place first. Now she’s on the defense.”

Robert Giuffre’s lawyer told People: “Unfortunately, as the issues you raise are before the courts in Australia, both he and anyone associated with the case including Ms. Giuffre or her agents are prohibited from discussing or utilizing the media. Therefore, there is no comment.”

The case had an upcoming hearing in June at the time she passed away.

Williams Brown is chief royal correspondent for Regalrumination.com, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly , at and read his stories on Regalrumination.com’s .

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