My haunting final encounter with Virginia Giuffre: She looked broken, paranoid and afraid, writes DAPHNE BARAK

As Prince Andrew snaked his arm around her bare midriff, the blonde, blue eyed girl smiled brightly for the camera.

But that notorious 2001 photograph of Virginia Guiffre – first revealed by the Mail on Sunday – would return to haunt her for the rest of her life.

A troubled teen who dropped out of high school early, Virginia had been working as the personal masseuse to notorious sex offender and millionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein for two years by the time she was introduced to the Queen’s favourite son.

Following their murky encounter, Epstein’s friend Ghislaine Maxwell – also seen grinning in the same picture – was said to have told Virginia: ‘You did well. He had fun.’

But she was tormented over the years that followed.

As more and more questions were asked about Andrew’s dubious links with Epstein, the glare of the spotlight took a heavy toll on Virginia.

By the time I met her in April 2022 she was a lonely, broken woman – and I was shocked.

She was a loving mother to three children and her long running legal battle with the Prince had finally been settled for an estimated £12 million, so I imagined the worst was behind her.

But the deep scars left from that fight were clearly still raw and painful.

Virginia Guiffre, who died by suspected suicide on Friday, is seen with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001

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Guiffre, seen outside a Manhattan court in 2019, became the face of allegations against notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his famous clients

Barak recalls meeting Giuffre as a ‘lonely, broken woman’ in 2022

Virginia Giuffre has died by suicide at her farm in Australia

And now – for reasons I still don’t understand – she was continuing with another high-profile legal case, this time suing leading American lawyer Alan Dershowitz and alleging that he had been part of the sex ring that had trafficked her.

He denied it vigorously and Virginia later dropped the case, admitting she might have been mistaken about his involvement.

We were staying at the same hotel in Washington DC but Virginia was virtually unrecognisable when I saw her across the lobby.

I remember she was wearing a smart suit for her meeting with lawyers but she walked slowly, her face and body were swollen, and she was obviously in so much pain.

It was clear that she was aware she was being stared at by faces that were far from friendly.