LONDON (AP) – Several charities announced on Monday that they have cut ties with Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, following the publication of an email in which she reportedly refers to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as a “supreme friend.” The correspondence has raised significant concerns about Ferguson's suitability as a charity patron.
Julia's House, a children's hospice based in the UK, issued a statement indicating that, in light of the newly revealed information regarding Ferguson's past communications with Epstein, it would be inappropriate for her to remain in her role as a patron. A spokesperson for Ferguson explained that she sent the email to Epstein under legal advice after he threatened to sue her for comments she made regarding his involvement in sexual abuse during a media interview.
In the statement, Julia's House expressed gratitude for Ferguson's previous support but confirmed its decision to sever ties: “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. We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support.”
Other charities, including The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and Prevent Breast Cancer, have also decided to end their associations with Ferguson. Notably, the Teenage Cancer Trust, which had collaborated with Ferguson for 35 years, has removed her as a patron as well.
The email in question came to public attention in conjunction with a 2011 interview Ferguson gave to the Evening Standard. In that interview, she expressed regret over accepting £15,000 from Epstein, stating, “I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf. I am just so contrite I cannot say. Whenever I can, I will repay the money and have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”
However, less than a month after that interview, Ferguson sent an email to Epstein in which she offered a "humbly" worded apology for linking him to sex abuse, calling him “a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family,” according to a report from The Sun.
The authenticity of the leaked email has not been independently verified by the Associated Press. This news story surfaced shortly after Prince Andrew faced backlash for maintaining contact with Epstein for five years longer than he originally claimed. Leaked correspondence between Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak suggested that Andrew was still in touch with Epstein as recently as 2015, contradicting his previous statements to the BBC in 2019, where he insisted that he had ceased all communication in December 2010, following Epstein's guilty plea to sex crimes in Florida.
Both Andrew and Ferguson have been embroiled in a series of scandals, particularly concerning allegations that Andrew has attempted to exploit his royal status. Following a controversial BBC interview in 2019, Andrew was stripped of all royal duties and charity roles. During the interview, he was criticized for appearing to downplay his connections with Epstein and for lacking empathy towards Epstein's victims. In the past year, further investigations revealed that a suspected Chinese spy had developed strong links with Andrew, raising alarms about potential undue influence on other members of the royal family.
