Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, expressed fears that she might be murdered “like Princess Diana” after an encounter with Prince Andrew, according to her former boyfriend.
Just hours after being allegedly trafficked to the British royal family in London in March 2001, a “terrified” Giuffre, then 17, made a phone call to her boyfriend, which he recalls vividly. “She was scared. Her voice was shaking the whole time,” Tony Figueroa, now 43, shared from his home in Atlanta, Georgia.
Giuffre, who tragically took her own life at age 41 in April, confided in her high school sweetheart that she felt compelled to sleep with Prince Andrew, despite not wanting to.
“I was seriously worried about her. We actually discussed her fears regarding death, even referencing [Princess] Diana. This man was extraordinarily powerful; he was a prince,” Figueroa remarked.
Figueroa invoked memories of the conspiracy theories that circulated after Princess Diana’s death in Paris in 1997, suggesting a similar fear was at play for Giuffre. In light of this, he believes Prince Andrew should come forward about his involvement in Giuffre’s struggles.
He stated that Giuffre was at her most fearful during her interactions with Andrew. Earlier this month, Andrew, the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, lost his royal titles amid fresh allegations surrounding his ties to Epstein, who had a history of criminal behavior before his suicide in custody.
Andrew has consistently denied wrongdoing and suggested that a famous photograph of him with Giuffre could be manipulated. Figueroa, however, dismissed these claims, recalling being present when Giuffre retrieved photos, including that infamous picture, from a kiosk in Florida.
He emphasized that Andrew’s loss of title was hardly enough of a penalty. “Oh, so he’s no longer a duke? That’s significant? What about Virginia? It’s hardly justice,” Figueroa expressed, feeling it was merely a “slap on the wrist.”
Figueroa and Giuffre began dating while she was working for Epstein as a masseuse, later revealing that she was sold for sex to influential individuals on Epstein’s orders.
In her posthumously published memoir, “Nobody’s Girl,” Giuffre recounted her experiences. Figueroa described meeting Epstein at Giuffre’s Palm Beach mansion, where he was struck by Epstein’s charisma and apparent normalcy.
Ultimately, Figueroa himself became embroiled in Epstein’s operations, transporting young girls in exchange for money. He now describes feelings of guilt and nightmares, especially as he has a young son of his own.
“I didn’t want to view Virginia negatively. Epstein supported our lives; why would I question that?” he recounted. When Giuffre later confided in him, he encouraged her to escape, but she felt ensnared and frightened.
At one point, Giuffre left for Thailand to pursue training as a masseuse, and their daily communication faded. “One day, she just stopped responding,” he reflected, noting she had met her future husband, Robert Giuffre, during that time.
Efforts to reach Buckingham Palace for a comment were unsuccessful, and Prince Andrew did not respond either.
