Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, ex-wife of the U.K.’s Prince Andrew, has been dropped from multiple charities after it was revealed that she sent an apologetic email to convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.
Leaked emails show that the Duchess of York called Epstein a “steadfast, generous, and supreme friend” even after publicly distancing herself from him.
Epstein had pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges in 2008 and agreed to register as a sex offender. Ferguson gave an interview to The Evening Standard in 2011, stating that she would never speak to him again. However, weeks later, she reportedly sent an email to Epstein apologizing for her previous comments and insisting that he was still her friend.
“I abhor pedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf,” Fergie said during the interview about accepting a $15,000 payment from the sex offender. “Whenever I can, I will repay the money and will have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”
In her email to Epstein, she denied linking his name to pedophilia.
“As you know I did not, absolutely not, say the P (pedophile) word about you,” Fergie’s email reportedly said. “I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologize to you and your heart for that.”
At least five charities have severed ties with Fergie since The Sun reported the leaked email over the weekend.
“We were disturbed to read of Sarah, Duchess of York’s, correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein,” Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, the founders of the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, said in a statement, per CNN.
“She was a patron but, in the light of the recent revelations, we have taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue to be associated with the charity.”
The Duchess of York was also dropped by the children’s hospice organization, Julia’s House.
“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,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support.”
Other charities to cut ties include The British Heart Foundation and The Children’s Literacy Charity.
A representative for Ferguson blamed the email on threats she had allegedly received from Epstein after the interview with The Evening Standard.
“Like many people, she was taken in by [Epstein’s] lies. 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 pedophilia,” the statement said. “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.”
Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for multiple crimes, including sex trafficking of women and minors as young as 14.