Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is facing a collapse of her public standing after an email emerged showing her apologising to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling him her 'supreme friend'. The correspondence, published by The Sun, was sent weeks after she publicly disavowed Epstein and apologised for accepting £15,000 from him.
In the email, Ferguson wrote: '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.' The revelation has triggered a swift backlash from charities she supported.
Children's hospice Julia's House, with which she had a 35-year association, removed her as patron, calling it 'inappropriate' for her to continue. The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, a cause she joined after meeting bereaved parents on a plane, said it was 'disturbed' and ended her patronage. The Children's Literacy Charity asked her to 'step down', while Prevent Breast Cancer, British Heart Foundation, National Foundation for Retired Service Animals, and Teenage Cancer Trust also severed ties.
PR expert Mark Borkowski described the email as 'reputational napalm', warning that her publishing deals for books including romance novels and a memoir could be under threat. Ferguson, who underwent a single mastectomy in 2023 after a breast cancer diagnosis, had only recently rebuilt her image after years of scandal following her divorce from Prince Andrew.
