A string of charities today washed their hands of the Duchess of York after she described Jeffrey Epstein in emails as a ‘supreme friend’ just weeks after apologising for accepting £15,000 from him
Sarah Ferguson’s life in the public eye lies in ruins after a wave of charities axed her in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein email scandal.
The Duchess of York faces a backlash after referring to him as a “supreme friend” – with good causes queuing up to wash their hands of her. Today children’s hospice Julia’s House cut ties with Fergie after it emerged she emailed Epstein in 2011 – weeks after pledging never to contact him again.
The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, British Heart Foundation, The Children’s Literacy Charity, Prevent Breast Cancer and National Foundation for Retired Service Animals also dropped the Duchess, 65, from her role as patron. The Teenage Cancer Trust, which she first backed when it opened a first unit in 1990, confirmed she had been given the boot.
Experts say the scandal could leave Fergie a “toxic” brand and have a devastating effect on her ability to financially support herself and disgraced ex-husband Andrew, 65. A close pal of Fergie said she wrote the email at a time when she had been threatened with legal action by Epstein, 66, who was found dead in his cell in 2019 as he awaited trial.
Fergie said sorry to Epstein after linking him to paedophilia in an interview, telling him: “I did not use the P word about you”.
PR expert Mark Borkowski said Fergie risked becoming “toxic” and said the leaked emails were “reputational napalm”. He said: “The Duchess’s reputation and ability to earn a living off the back of that reputation directly affects Andrew’s finances.” He added: “The leaked emails are reputational napalm… Julia’s House severing ties is not a side note; it’s a siren.
“When a children’s hospice decides the reputational risk of association outweighs the patronage of a Duchess, the verdict is clear: she is toxic. Charities are bellwethers for public trust. If they won’t touch her, then publishers, sponsors, and producers won’t either. This isn’t a PR headache – it’s financial destitution dressed up as disgrace.”
A spokesperson for Teenage Cancer Trust said: “We have made the decision to end our relationship with the Duchess of York, and as of today she is no longer a patron of Teenage Cancer Trust. We have communicated this decision to the Duchess. We would like to thank the Duchess of York for her support.”
In a statement Julia’s House said: “Following 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.”
Meanwhile Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, founders of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, also said they were “disturbed” by the Duchess’s email to Epstein. Their daughter, Natasha, 15, died in 2016 after she ate an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette containing sesame seeds, bought from a Pret a Manger at Heathrow Airport.
She began to feel unwell on a British Airways flight and suffered a cardiac arrest. As they flew her body home, the Duchess of York, returning from a business trip, was sat in a seat behind them. In an interview in 2019, the Duchess of York said: “I could see they weren’t just grieving: it was a different scale of misery. They were in tremendous pain. It was haunting. I contemplated: should I leave them alone, or could I do something?”
She decided to comfort them and forged an enduring friendship when she was appointed patron of the charity. But today Natasha’s parents said: “We were disturbed to read of Sarah, Duchess of York’s, correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein. Sarah Ferguson has not been actively involved with the charity for some years.
“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. We would like to thank her for her kindness and support in the past.”
Meanwhile Prevent Breast Cancer also revealed Fergie was “no longer a patron” just months after she was handed the role. She spoke gushingly about the charity after she was treated for breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy and reconstruction surgery before later being diagnosed with skin cancer. A spokesperson for Prevent Breast Cancer said: “The Duchess of York is no longer a patron of Prevent Breast Cancer. We have advised her of this decision and thank her for her past support.”
Meanwhile The Children’s Literacy Charity said: “Given the recent information which has come to light about the Duchess of York and Jeffrey Epstein, the Children’s Literacy Charity has asked the Duchess of York to step down from her role as patron. We are grateful for the Duchess of York’s support for children’s literacy over the years but now feel it would be inappropriate for her to continue as Patron of the charity.”
Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, MP for Richmond Park, said: “I think any charity would want to know that their trustees observe the highest possible standards of child protection, and I really do think that these emails very much undermine that. So I’m not surprised that this has happened.” When asked if the Duchess should lose her other patronages, she responded: “It feels like it might be the right thing to do. Obviously, that’s a matter for them. But I really think these revelations about these emails make her position untenable.”
The backlash centres on an interview published in March 2011, in which the Duchess of York apologised for having accepted £15,000 from Epstein – a long-time pal of Andrew. She said: “I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf. Whenever I can, I will repay the money and will have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”
But just over a month later, on April 26, the Duchess secretly wrote to Epstein from her personal email address. The email read: “As you know I did not, absolutely not, say the P (paedophile) word about you. 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.”