Duchess Sarah Ferguson Loses Charity Roles Amid Epstein Email Controversy

Mon Sep 29 2025 00:28:39 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, faces major backlash as multiple charities sever ties after the emergence of a controversial 2011 email referencing Jeffrey Epstein.

Following the release of a 2011 email describing Jeffrey Epstein as a 'supreme friend,' Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has been dropped by seven charities, including Julia's House and the Teenage Cancer Trust. The email appears to contradict her earlier public denunciations of Epstein. A spokesperson for Ferguson revealed that the email was meant to appease Epstein amidst threats of defamation. This situation has raised questions about the potential implications for her public persona and future charity affiliations.

Seven charities have dropped the Duchess of York as a patron or ambassador after an email from 2011 revealed that she called sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her supreme friend and seemed to apologise for her public criticism of him.

Julia's House, a children's hospice, was the first to remove Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew's ex-wife, saying it was inappropriate for her to continue in the role.

The Teenage Cancer Trust, Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, Children's Literacy Charity, National Foundation for Retired Service Animals, and Prevent Breast Cancer also announced they had dropped the duchess as patron.

The British Heart Foundation stated she would no longer be its ambassador.

A spokesperson for the duchess said she was not commenting on the charities' decisions to end their links with her.

This fallout follows the Mail on Sunday and Sun newspapers publishing a 2011 email from the duchess to Epstein, which appears to have been sent after she claimed to have broken off contact with him.

In the email, she appeared to privately apologise for her public rejection of Epstein, stating: You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family. This statement contradicted her earlier public denunciation of Epstein, where she called her involvement with him a gigantic error of judgement.\

The duchess described a previous commitment to sever all ties with Epstein, only for the later email to express a humble apology to him and mention that he might be feeling hellaciously let down by her.

A spokesperson clarified that the email was sent to counter Epstein's threat to sue her for defamation and noted that she still regretted any association with him.

The response to the email's emergence was swift, leading several charities to cut their ties with Ferguson. This included the Teenage Cancer Trust, where she had held her patron position for 35 years.

The fallout is particularly damaging for the duchess, as her public persona has largely relied on her philanthropic work, especially with children.

Overall, this scandal reflects the ongoing repercussions of Epstein's legacy, causing significant damage to those associated with him and raising serious concerns about their reputations.