The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, 'humbly' apologised to Jeffrey Epstein weeks after publicly disowning him, according to leaked emails obtained by the Mail on Sunday. In March 2011, Ferguson told the Evening Standard that her involvement with Epstein, who had been jailed for soliciting a minor, was a 'gigantic error of judgment'. She also stated she would never have anything to do with him again, saying she abhorred paedophilia.
However, on 26 April 2011, Ferguson wrote to Epstein expressing regret for her earlier comments. 'I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that,' she wrote. She denied calling him a paedophile and suggested her disavowal was driven by advice to protect her career as a children's author and philanthropist.
A spokesperson for the duchess said the email was written in response to Epstein's threat to sue her for defamation. '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,' the spokesperson added.
Ferguson has published over 50 children's books and is a patron of several charities. The leaked emails also show her describing Epstein as a 'steadfast, generous and supreme friend'.
