Prince Andrew's "delusional" hopes for a royal return have been dashed after his abuse accuser, Virginia Giuffre's death, sources have claimed. Ms Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was 17, died in Western Australia on Friday, aged 41, according to her publicist.

Virginia Giuffre, previously known as Virginia Roberts (her maiden name), was one of the most prominent accusers of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and also a campaigner for victims of sex trafficking. She is understood to have died at her farm in Western Australia. Police confirmed emergency services received reports of an unresponsive woman at a property in the Perth suburb of Neergabby on Friday night.

Now, sources said that her death has "firmly closed" the royals' door for Prince Andrew.

One source told The Sun: "Any notion that the message or her bus crash story could somehow make her an unreliable witness has now disappeared. The door is firmly closed on any return."

Another source claimed: "Andrew does deep down harbour hopes that he can make a comeback — but they are delusional hopes.

Ms Giuffre had been living in Australia for the last few years and made headlines last month following an accident which, according to one of her social media posts, had allegedly left her with "four days to live". According to reports, her publicist later said that she had not intended to make the post public.

The 41-year-old, who was believed to have separated from her husband, was treated in an Australian hospital after the accident.

Her publicist did not answer questions about the date, location, nature or other specifics of the accident and about the accuracy of an Instagram post that appeared from Ms Giuffre in which she said she had been in a car that was hit by a school bus, and her prognosis was dire.

American-born Giuffre was a central figure in the prolonged downfall of disgraced paedophile financier Epstein. She came forward publicly after the initial investigation ended in an 18-month Florida jail term for Epstein, who made a secret deal and was released in 2009.

In subsequent civil lawsuits, Mr Giuffre said she was a spa attendant as a teen at Mar-a-Lago - Mr Trump's Palm Beach club - when she was approached in 2000 by Maxwell.

She was hired as a masseuse for Epstein and was flown around the world for meetings with men at Epstein's behest while she was 17 and 18.

She alleged Epstein forced her to have sex with the Duke of York three times when she was 17 - in New York, London, and the US Virgin Islands. Andrew has repeatedly and vehemently denied the claims.

In August 2021, she filed a lawsuit against the duke for alleged sexual abuse. The next year, she reached an out-of-court settlement with the prince for an undisclosed amount. However, the settlement accepted no liability.

The prince has always denied any wrongdoing. But his links to Epstein resulted in him stepping down as a senior working royal in 2019.

Following her death on Friday, her family said in a statement Ms Giuffre was a "fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse" but that the "toll of abuse... became unbearable".

"She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking," they said.

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. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure."

She is survived by her three children, whom the statement described as the "light of her life."

On Monday, a Western Australia Police spokeswoman confirmed Ms Giuffre's death was still under investigation by major crime detectives, but did not appear to be suspicious.

Perth Coroner's office said Ms Giuffre's death had been reported to the coroner, who would investigate the circumstances.