The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, has been removed as patron of four charities after the emergence of a 2011 email in which she described convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as her “supreme friend.”
Julia’s House, a children’s hospice in Dorset and Wiltshire, was the first to cut ties, calling it “inappropriate” for Ferguson to remain in her role.
Hours later, the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the Children’s Literacy Charity, and Prevent Breast Cancer also confirmed her removal, though each thanked her for past support.
The Teenage Cancer Trust, where Ferguson has served as patron for 35 years, said it is still “reviewing the situation.”
Email Sparks Backlash
The controversy stems from an email Ferguson allegedly sent to Epstein in 2011 — three years after his 2008 conviction for sex offences — in which she privately apologized for distancing herself from him in public.
“You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family,” the message read.
The email appeared to contradict her earlier public comments, including a 2011 interview where she called her involvement with Epstein a “gigantic error of judgment” and insisted he had been “rightly jailed.”
A spokesperson for the Duchess said the message was sent under legal pressure, claiming Epstein had threatened to sue her for defamation.
“This email was sent in the context of advice the Duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats,” the statement said, adding she continues to deeply regret her association with him.
Mounting Pressure
Ferguson became a patron of Julia’s House in 2018 and visited one of its hospices, but her name has now been removed from its website, where other patrons include football manager Eddie Howe, actor Nigel Havers, and designer Jasper Conran.
The fallout mirrors the experience of her former husband, Prince Andrew, who stepped back from royal duties in 2019 and lost his patronages after his own ties to Epstein came under scrutiny.
Andrew was photographed walking with Epstein in New York’s Central Park in 2010, after Epstein’s release from prison.
Calls for transparency about Epstein’s network of powerful associates have grown in the US, with fresh revelations surfacing from his contacts and communications. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
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