Several UK charities have cut ties with Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, after it was revealed she once referred to Jeffrey Epstein as her “supreme friend” in an email.
Ferguson, the former wife of Prince Andrew, was removed as a patron by multiple charities, including Julia’s House, Natasha’s Allergy Research Foundation, the Children’s Literacy Charity, Teenage Cancer Trust, and Prevent Breast Cancer.
Over the weekend, British media reported that Ferguson sent an email to Epstein in 2011, where she thanked him and described him as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend”.
In the same message, she said she had been instructed to give a critical interview about him in order to protect her “career as a children’s book author and children’s philanthropist”.
In that 2011 interview, Ferguson called a £15,000 ($30,000) loan from Epstein a “gigantic error of judgment” and said she would “never have anything to do with” him again.
Following the revelations, several charities released statements confirming their decisions to cut ties with the Duchess of York.
Julia’s House, a children’s hospice in the south-west of England, told the ABC it had discontinued her patronage “following the information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York’s correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein”.
“Julia’s House has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron of the charity,” the charity said.
“We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support.”
The founders of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBEs, also said they were “disturbed” by the revelations and had ended her involvement.
“Sarah Ferguson has not been actively involved with the charity for some years,” they said in a statement.
“She was a patron but, in the light of the recent revelations, we have taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue to be associated with the charity.”
The Children’s Literacy Charity released a similar statement saying it was “inappropriate” for Ferguson to remain a patron and had asked her to step down.
Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Ferguson, who married Prince Andrew in 1986 and divorced him in 1996, has worked as an author and media personality in recent years. She has remained close to Andrew and loyal to him following his own public fallout due to his connections with Epstein.
The pair still live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park and recently appeared together at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral.
In response to the reports about her 2011 email, a spokesperson for Ferguson said the message was sent “in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats”.
Reports suggest Epstein was considering a defamation lawsuit against her at the time.
Epstein’s name has continued to make headlines, including calls for the US Department of Justice to release documents related to the case, and recent media attention on the UK’s former US ambassador Peter Mandelson, who was fired after new revelations about his ties to Epstein.
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