Newly released US justice department files reveal that convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein tried to persuade Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, to publicly retract her criticism of him after she distanced herself in a 2011 interview. Epstein discussed with crisis publicist Mike Sitrick how to pressure Ferguson into issuing a statement declaring he was not a paedophile.
In the interview with The Daily Telegraph, Ferguson had admitted allowing Epstein to pay off £15,000 of her debts and expressed deep regret for her association with him. However, emails show Epstein believed he could leverage their close relationship to make her change her account, describing her as a “supreme friend”.
Sitrick advised “gentle persuasion” initially, but suggested escalating to threatening a defamation lawsuit if necessary. He wrote that Ferguson “created this problem” and that her retraction was “critical” for Epstein’s reputation. The files indicate Epstein had admitted to soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.
Ferguson did not make a public statement in Epstein’s defence, but privately emailed him a month later to “humbly apologise” for her Telegraph comments. It remains unclear whether she was threatened with legal action as discussed.
