Virginia Giuffre’s Family Praises Her ‘Courage,’ Shares How They Honor Her Legacy Over 1 Year After Her Death (Exclusive)

“We’ve had to take that same courage that she’s taught us and keep pushing her message and her legacy forward,” Amanda Roberts tells PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

• Sky and Amanda Roberts are committed to keeping Virginia Giuffre’s legacy alive
• The pair relaunched Giuffre’s survivor support nonprofit, SOAR
• Mariska Hargitay presented Giuffre with Equality Now’s Courage Award posthumously last month

Virginia Giuffre’s family is committed to keeping her legacy alive. 

Talking to PEOPLE at Equality Now’s Make Equality Reality Gala in New York City, Giuffre’s younger brother, Sky, and his wife, Amanda, opened up about the importance of continuing the late activist’s work over one year after her death.

“I’ve had the privilege of watching her and being her sister for the last 14 years. And I got to see behind the closed door and the tolls that it takes and the doubt that enters and the attacks that she endured,” Amanda shared. “But then I watched her still get up every single time and do it again and do it again because it was the right thing to do.”

“Courage is now, I feel like, at our doorstep. We’ve had to take that same courage that she’s taught us and keep pushing her message and her legacy forward,” she added.

Sky told PEOPLE that he wishes his sister “was here to see this moment, to see what she did.”

“When you’re in it, I don’t think you always fully comprehend what you’re doing and how much of an impact that it has,” he explained. “For Virginia, courage to her was being vindicated in her truth. It was telling the truth no matter what was said or what was going to be done; she was vindicated in it.”

“A prince is no longer a prince because of Virginia,” he continued. “I can’t tell you how many times she was called a liar. I can’t tell you how many times that she was disbelieved, but she knew that she was going to take a page out of their playbook and she was going to make a new chapter. That new chapter meant not going away. It meant that no matter what, she was going to keep pushing forward.”

Prior to her death by suicide in April 2025, Giuffre had alleged that she had been trafficked by the late Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to high-profile individuals, including the former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after being stripped of his royal titles following his arrest in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Giuffre later founded Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR), a nonprofit organization that provides support for survivors of sexual assault.

Reflecting on Giuffre’s legacy, Amanda said she learned the “biggest” power someone has is “using your voice.”

“We recently had the privilege to relaunch SOAR, which is Speak Out, Act, Reclaim. That is us continuing Virginia’s work to be the resource for survivors,” Amanda said. “We will be advocating for a lot of legislation this year. Virginia’s Law, along with World Without Exploitation, will be bringing that to the Hill this year with Equality Now support as well. There are so many spaces and things to get involved with. We’re pushing that Epstein Files Transparency Act, too.”

Sky shared that “my very favorite thing about Virginia is that the one thing they could not take away from her was her joy and her happiness, and she reminded me every day to smile, appreciate it.” 

At the event, Mariska Hargitay posthumously presented the Equality Now Courage Award to Giuffre. 

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star said that “courage, as we know, is not the absence of fear.”

“Courage is Virginia knowing that to stay silent would’ve been easier. Courage is knowing that not having to tell, to tell again, to prove, to withstand scrutiny, disbelief and judgment would’ve been so much easier, but she spoke out just the same. Virginia asked us to imagine a world in which no one is too powerful to be held accountable,” Hargitay remarked. 

“She used the power of her voice to help bring us closer to that world, to create a space for other survivors to be heard. She founded SOAR — Speak Out, Act, Reclaim — to help survivors of sexual abuse heal and speak out. And at the heart of this award for Equality Now is the recognition that the courage she gave to the world, at great personal cost, leads to change,” the actress continued.

Sky and Amanda Roberts accepted the award on Giuffre’s behalf.  

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.