Newly released emails show Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, borrowed money from convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and continued to associate with him after his release from prison. The correspondence, part of the latest tranche of Epstein files, reveals Ferguson asking Epstein for financial help and describing him as "the brother I have always wished for."
In one email from August 2009, Ferguson thanks Epstein for a compliment he made "in front of my girls," referring to her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Another email from July 2009 indicates she had lunch with Epstein and both daughters in Miami. Epstein later claimed Ferguson was "the first to celebrate my release" by visiting him in New York with her daughters.
The revelations have left Ferguson facing homelessness after she and her ex-husband Prince Andrew were stripped of royal titles and forced to vacate Royal Lodge. Charities have cut ties with Ferguson following the disclosures. The emails also show Ferguson invited Epstein to Prince Andrew's 50th birthday party at St James's Palace in 2010.
Ferguson had previously apologised for associating with Epstein, calling it a "terrible error of judgment," but the emails suggest the friendship continued. A source close to Ferguson denied that she or her daughters recalled visiting Epstein in New York.
