A string of charities have cut ties with Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson after newspapers published an email that she reportedly wrote to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in which she called him a “supreme friend”.
Children’s hospice Julia’s House said the reported words made it inappropriate for the Duchess of York to remain as a patron.
Other causes that dropped Ferguson included the British Heart Foundation, the Teenage Cancer Trust, Prevent Breast Cancer and the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.
Disgraced financier Epstein was jailed in 2008 for 18 months after pleading guilty to soliciting sex from girls as young as 14. Even though he was registered as a sex offender, he was released on probation after 13 months.
Epstein, who was accused of running a “vast network” of underage girls, died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial for serial sex trafficking of women and girls.
The duchess’s husband, Andrew, was a long-time associate of Epstein.
The Sun newspaper reported this week that in April 2011 the duchess had “humbly apologised” to Epstein for linking him to paedophilia in the media. In her email, she allegedly wrote: “I know you feel hellaciously let down by me.
“And I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that.
“You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family.”
The email went on: “I am apologising to you today for not replying to your email or reaching out to you. I was bedridden with fear. I was paralysed.
“I was advised in no uncertain terms, to have nothing to do with you and to not speak or email you.
“And if I did — I would cause more problems to you, the Duke and myself. I was broken and lost.
“So please understand. I didn’t want to hurt Andrew one more time. I was in over-riding fear. I am sorry.”
Her spokesperson said it was sent “in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats”.
The email stemmed from an interview with the Evening Standard a month earlier, in which she had apologised for accepting £15,000 from the sex offender.
She said: “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.”
The duchess’s spokesperson had previously said she had spoken of her regret about her links with Epstein and did not resile from condemning him publicly.
He added that Epstein had threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with paedophilia.
A friend of the duchess told the paper: “The threats from Epstein were extremely aggressive and unpleasant.
“He was furious she had done the right thing and condemned him publicly, and wanted revenge.
“She felt she had no option but to write in the way she did — trying to appease him and make it all go away.”
