Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has been dropped as the patron of children’s hospice Julia’s House after an email she allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein in 2011 was leaked.
Julia’s House announced on Monday, September 22, that Ferguson, 65, was no longer associated with the organization after the email was released over the weekend.
“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,” the organization said in a statement to People.
The controversy was revealed on September 20 when The Sun and The Mail on Sunday reported that Ferguson sent Epstein the email in 2011, in which she praised him as “a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family.”
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She reportedly sent the email weeks after she said in an interview with the London Evening Standard that she regretted accepting money from Epstein and vowed to never contact him again.
Ferguson – who is known by her nickname Fergie – wrote Epstein the letter after he was convicted in June 2008 in a Florida state court on charges of one count of soliciting a minor for prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution.
She was previously married to Prince Andrew from 1986 to 1996. Andrew, 65, stepped down as a working member of the royal family in November 2019 following his BBC interview that exposed his links to Epstein. The disgraced American financier died in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.
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During a March 2011 interview with the London Evening Standard, Ferguson said that accepting around $20,000 from Epstein was a mistake. “I personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me. I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf,” she said at the time. “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.”
“What he did was wrong and for which he was rightly jailed,” she continued. “I will never have anything to do with him again. I deeply regret it. How many more times do you want me to underline that?”
However, The Sun reported that Ferguson sent Epstein an email on April 26, 2011, that read, “As you know, I did not, absolutely not, say the P (pedophile) word about you. I know you feel hellaciously let down by me. And I must humbly apologize to you and your heart for that.”
“You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family,” the alleged email continued. “I am apologizing to you today for not replying to your email or reaching out to you. I was bedridden with fear. I was paralyzed. 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 overriding fear. I am sorry.”
The Sun also reported that Ferguson wrote the email after Epstein threatened her with aggressive legal action, according to her friend.
While Ferguson has not publicly reacted to being dropped from Julia’s House, she did issue a statement about her alleged email sent to Epstein.
“The Duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been her first thoughts are with his victims. Like many people, she was taken in by his lies,” a statement from her spokesperson said, per People.
“As soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him, she not only cut off contact but condemned him publicly, to the extent that he then threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with paedophilia. She does not resile from anything she said then. This email was sent in the context of advice the Duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats.”
