Heartbreaking reason why Virginia Giuffre's memoir is set to be released after her death

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide and sexual abuse which some may find distressing.

Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, promising to shed light on the alleged abuse she experienced at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew, Duke of York. is being published later this year.

The book publication comes six months after she died by suicide, following an email stating she still wanted it to be released in the event of her death.

Virginia Giuffre, 41, was a surviving sex trafficking victim who pursued criminal and civil actions against disgraced American financier Epstein and his long-time accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

The American-Australian advocate of justice detailed her experience reportedly being sex trafficked by Epstein to Prince Andrew, Duke of York, in a 2019 BBC Panorama, which aired in December of that year.

Andrew, 65, has always denied the claims made against him.

Virginia Giuffre's memoir is being released six months after her death (Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Three years after coming forward with the accusations, the lawsuit Giuffre filed against the royal was settled out of court.

The result saw Andrew paying Giuffre an undisclosed amount and making a substantial donation to her charity for victims’ rights.

Virgina Giuffre’s memoir released posthumously

In April 2025, the family of the Epstein accuser announced she had died by suicide at her farm in Western Australia, where she’d been living for several years.

"Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” the family said in a statement to NBC News.

“She was the light that lifted so many survivors," the statement said. “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight."

Before her death, Giuffre finished working on her book, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice.

The book is due to be published by Alfred A Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House, on October 21.

Its publication was already planned before Giuffre's death, as per The Guardian.

Nobody's Girl is set for a US release this October (Alfred A Knopf)

The American publishing house, founded by Blanche Knopf and her husband in 1915, said the memoir is still on track for release because it was the author’s ‘heartfelt wish’.

"In the event of my passing, I would like to ensure that NOBODY’S GIRL is still released,” Giuffre said in an email sent to Knopf.

“I believe it has the potential to impact many lives and foster necessary discussions about these grave injustices.”

What is Nobody’s Girl about?

The 400-page autobiography was written with Amy Wallace, and promises to ‘shed light on the systemic failures that allow the trafficking of vulnerable individuals across borders’.

Giuffre added in the email: “It is imperative that the truth is understood and that the issues surrounding this topic are addressed, both for the sake of justice and awareness.”

The publisher has described Nobody’s Girl as the activist’s ‘story told in full and in her own words’ - a ‘riveting and powerful story of an ordinary girl who would grow up to confront extraordinary adversity’.

“Giuffre offers an unsparing and definitive account of her time with Epstein and Maxwell, who trafficked her and others to numerous prominent men.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has always denied all claims made against him (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

“She also details the molestation she suffered as a child, as well as her daring escape from Epstein and Maxwell’s grasp at nineteen.”

The publisher has also said it will share new details of her experiences with many of Epstein and Maxwell’s ‘well-known’ friends, including Prince Andrew.

What has Buckingham Palace said?

At the time that the Duke of York and Giuffre’s case was announced, Buckingham Palace said the Prince’s military titles and royal patronages had been returned to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

A royal source said he would also stop using the title His Royal Highness in an official capacity.

Buckingham Palace has never commented on the out-of-court settlement, but a statement from the Treasury said that no public money had been used to either pay his legal or settlement fees.