Lady Victoria Hervey has faced backlash over a controversial post following Virginia Giuffre’s death
Lady Victoria Hervey has sparked backlash after her comments following Virginia Giuffre’s death. The 48-year-old aristocrat, who briefly dated the Duke of York in 1999, has been outspoken in her defence of the royal.
Giuffre, who had publicly accused Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, was found dead by suicide at the age of 41 in Neergabby, Australia, where she had been living on Thursday.
Following the news, Lady Victoria, 48, shared an article announcing the news and commented, “When lies catch up with you, there’s no way out,” suggesting that Giuffre’s allegations were false. Fans immediately hit out, calling her response “cold-hearted” and “sick.”
This isn’t the first time Lady Victoria has publicly clashed with Giuffre. She previously labelled Giuffre a “fantasist” and a “liar,” and even mocked her for a fake photo claim, making her remarks all the more inflammatory following the sex trafficking campaigner’s death. She also hit out, claiming that the Duke of York, 65, was “set up” for her. Hervey later took to her social media, announcing she would be pausing her posts on the subject, sharing, “Irrespective of circumstances, suicide in anyone at anytime is tragic and in a young mother who has children even more.”
READ MORE: Prince Andrew’s ex Lady Victoria Hervey sparks outrage with Virginia Giuffre post
Lady Victoria Hervey, the daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol and sister to the 7th and 8th Marquesses, was once the quintessential “It Girl” of the 1990s. A prominent figure in the fashion world, she graced the pages of glossy magazines and became a fixture in tabloid headlines.
She has publicly discussed her past relationship with Prince Andrew and her connections to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. In the ITV documentary Ghislaine, Prince Andrew & the Paedophile, she revealed that she and Prince Andrew had a brief romantic involvement in 1999, and enjoyed cosy dinners together. Hervey also described attending social gatherings hosted by Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Epstein, likening them to a “Batman and Robin” duo. She expressed that she felt used as “bait” to attract other young women to their circle, opening up about her naivety at the time.
Hervey has since been linked to several high-profile figures, including Boyzone’s Shane Lynch, but her brief relationship with Prince Andrew remains one of her most talked-about connections. Meanwhile, the royal had dated the likes of American actress Koo Stark but is known for his relationship with Sarah Ferguson, whom he married in 1986 and divorced in 1996.
Giuffre, who made headlines for accusing both Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, filed a lawsuit against the Duke of York in 2021. She claimed that between 1999 and 2002, Prince Andrew had sexually abused her three times—in London, New York, and on Epstein’s private Caribbean island.
The case was settled out of court in February 2022, with the details of the financial settlement remaining confidential. While Prince Andrew denied all allegations, the settlement included a statement where he expressed regret for his association with Epstein, though it made no admission of wrongdoing.
Last night, Giuffre’s family released a statement to confirm she had taken her own life and described her as being a ‘warrior in the fight against sexual abuse.’ Her family said in a statement: “Giuffre 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. 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.
“It was when she held her newborn daughter in her arms that Virginia realised she had to fight back against those who had abused her and so many others. There are no words that can express the grave loss we feel today with the passing of our sweet Virginia. She was heroic and will always be remembered for her incredible courage and loving spirit. In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight. We know that she is with the angels.”
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