Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has lost her affiliations with seven charities following a scandal ignited by an email where she dubbed the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her 'supreme friend'. This email, dating back to 2011, surfaced recently and has led organizations to consider her association inappropriate.
Among the first to act was Julia's House, a children's hospice, which publicly announced the termination of her role due to the revelations. Other organizations including the Teenage Cancer Trust and the British Heart Foundation quickly followed suit, expressing their concerns and severing ties.
The controversy erupted after the Mail on Sunday and Sun published details of the email, in which Ferguson seemed to apologize for her earlier public criticisms of Epstein, thus raising questions about her previous declarations of having broken off contact with him. In public statements, she had previously labeled her financial interactions with Epstein as a 'gigantic error of judgement' and condemned his actions.
In her 2011 correspondence, she stated, You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family, which contradicted her public rejection of him made a few weeks earlier. In response to the scandal, a representative for the duchess remarked that the email was intended to 'assuage Epstein and his threats' as he allegedly threatened to sue her for defamation.
The fallout from this email has prompted many charities to reassess their relationships with Ferguson, signaling significant damage to her public image, particularly relating to her work with children and health organizations. As the repercussions continue, the duchess's future in charity and royal circles remains uncertain amidst ongoing scrutiny of her connections to Epstein.
