The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, has been removed from her role as patron of Julia’s House, a children’s hospice charity in Dorset and Wiltshire, after the emergence of an email in which she referred to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as her “supreme friend.”
Charity Cuts Ties After Revelation
Julia’s House announced it was ending its association with the Duchess following the publication of the 2011 email.
“Following the 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,” a spokesperson said.
They added that Sarah Ferguson had been advised of the decision and thanked her for her past support.
The move comes as the Duchess faces renewed scrutiny over her long-criticized links to Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Background: The Email to Epstein
The controversial email, reportedly sent after Ferguson had publicly cut ties with Epstein, appears to apologize for her rejection of him.
“You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family,” the Duchess wrote.
This message contradicted her public remarks in 2011, when she had called her association with Epstein a “gigantic error of judgment.” At the time, she condemned Epstein’s actions as “wrong and for which he was rightly jailed.”
According to her spokesperson, however, the 2011 email was sent under pressure because Epstein had been threatening to sue her for defamation. The statement insisted that Ferguson regretted her past connections with him and only wrote the words to try to “assuage Epstein and his threats.”
Wider Fallout
The timing of the email is particularly damaging because it was sent several years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction and imprisonment for sex offences involving minors.
In addition to Julia’s House, another organization — the Teenage Cancer Trust, where the Duchess also serves as patron — confirmed it is “reviewing the situation.”
Julia’s House, which Sarah Ferguson joined in 2018, supports children with “life-shortening and life-threatening conditions” and their families. The Duchess had previously visited one of its hospices, but her name and profile have now been removed from the charity’s official website.
Other well-known patrons still listed include football manager Eddie Howe, actor Nigel Havers, and designer Jasper Conran.
Continuing Scrutiny of Epstein Connections
The Duchess of York is not the first royal figure to face questions over ties to Epstein. Her former husband, Prince Andrew, was forced to step back from public life following widespread outrage over his friendship with Epstein and a civil sexual assault case filed against him in the United States, which he later settled.
The resurfacing of Ferguson’s email has revived public criticism and once again highlighted the damaging legacy of Epstein’s relationships with prominent figures.
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