Prince Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing involving Ms Giuffre.

They reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022, in which Prince Andrew paid an undisclosed amount of money.

A statement with the settlement expressed regret on his part – but contained no admission of liability or an apology. Prince Andrew has always denied all the accusations against him.

The prospect of Prince Andrew facing a court hearing in New York was averted by the settlement, but it had been a huge problem for the Royal Family, and Prince Andrew was swiftly removed from all official public roles.

His reputation has never recovered.

At this stage, there is still much that is not known about Ms Giuffre’s last days or her personal circumstances.

But as her family has said, as a young woman, she had the strength to stand up to a toxic mix of power, money and privilege in the circle surrounding Epstein, that sexually exploited so many girls.

There will be suspicions the long shadow of Epstein’s poisonous misuse of wealth and influence has indirectly claimed another victim.