Duchess of York devastated after Epstein emails lead to charity withdrawals

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is devastated after emails surfaced in which she privately sought to apologise to Jeffrey Epstein and described her public disavowal of him as a career maneuver, a friend said. The revelations have preceded a wave of fallout, with seven charities cutting ties with the former royal patron in the wake of the disclosures.

The Mail on Sunday published messages in which Ferguson wrote to Epstein to humbly apologise for publicly disassociating herself from him after his conviction for sex offenses involving a minor. The documents also show her arguing that she had only distanced herself to protect her career as a children’s author, and that she believed she was acting under pressure and threats from Epstein.

In the emails, Ferguson appeared to acknowledge that she had been advised to speak out against Epstein to salvage her public image, while insisting she never described him as a pedophile. The messages date from 2011, a period in which Epstein sought to leverage his relationship with her family to influence public perception and, according to contemporaneous reporting, to influence the trajectory of her publishing and charitable work.

The public fallout intensified as seven charities pulled back longtime patronage from Ferguson. Among the organizations cited by reports are the Teenage Cancer Trust, which she supported since 1990, the British Heart Foundation, Julia’s House, and Prevent Breast Cancer. The withdrawals come after a broader pattern of scrutiny over her associations with Epstein and other powerful figures, prompting discussions about the Duchess’s role in public and private royal life.

Details surrounding the decision by the charities to sever ties have added to the sense that the disclosures have cascading implications for the royal household’s public-facing charitable network. A Daily Mail royal editor, Rebecca English, has reported that Charles, Prince of Wales’s heir, and the wider royal establishment are weighing how to manage any future appearances or private perceptions about the Duchess’s involvement with philanthropic endeavors amid the controversy.

Lizzie Cundy, a friend and television personality who has publicly supported Ferguson in recent days, told Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine that the duchess was devastated and deeply sorry. Cundy said Ferguson believed Epstein was a formidable and dangerous adversary who could weaponize legal action and reputational harm against her and her family, and she described Ferguson as regretting meeting Epstein and feeling she had little choice but to respond in a way she believed would protect her loved ones.

"There is no one more sorry today than Sarah Ferguson," Cundy said on the program, adding that Ferguson had felt she was duped by Epstein and that public condemnation from the press had intensified the pressure around her. She noted that Epstein’s threats, including aggressive lawsuits, contributed to a sense of fear for her family, and that Ferguson’s subsequent public statements were made under stress and fear of retaliation.

The chronology laid out by the outlets shows Ferguson’s private apologies came months after she publicly distanced herself from Epstein, claiming that she would never have anything to do with him again. The leaked emails suggest, however, that she sought to reassure Epstein and minimize damage to her reputation by acknowledging his grievances and portraying her disavowal as a strategic response to protect her career as an author and philanthropist for children.

Supporters have emphasised that Ferguson has long maintained a record of charitable work and public service, arguing that the emails reflect a period of personal vulnerability under extraordinary pressure. A spokesperson for Ferguson stressed that the email was sent as part of advice she received to address Epstein’s threats, and that she regrets any association with him while reaffirming that she did condemn him publicly when allegations against him became clear.

The broader royal context remains unsettled. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has already stepped back from official duties amid his ties to Epstein. The royal family has not provided a full list of private engagements that Ferguson or Andrew would be allowed to attend, but reports suggest there is ongoing concern about how to balance historical associations with public expectations for privacy and propriety at private family events.

The disclosures touch on broader themes in the culture and entertainment landscape surrounding royal patronage: the tension between personal relationships and public duties, how charitable organizations respond to controversy, and how media narratives shape the legacies of high-profile figures. In this case, multiple charities have chosen to sever or reassess ties with Ferguson, signaling a shift in how philanthropic partnerships are managed in the wake of privacy-breaching revelations and questions about accountability.

Ghislaine Maxwell, in testimony cited by some observers, has described Ferguson as a figure who appeared drawn to Epstein, a characterization that has fed ongoing debate about the Duchess’s associations. While Maxwell’s statements have not been independently verifed in all respects, they contribute to a broader public reckoning over how relationships with Epstein were perceived in elite circles and how those ties intersect with charitable work and public trust.

Epstein’s death in 2019 and the subsequent investigations have continued to ripple through political and social circles, with critics arguing that more disclosures could emerge as investigators pursue private communications and potential overlooked connections. As new information unfolds, the royal family has faced renewed scrutiny over how far private affiliations should influence public philanthropy and the appearance of propriety at charitable events.

The Duchess’s team has repeatedly said that the emails were sent under pressure and do not reflect a change in the Duchess’s long-standing public stance against Epstein or her condemnation of sexual abuse. They noted that Ferguson, who has published more than 50 children’s books and has ongoing charitable work, remains committed to supporting vulnerable young people.

Publishers and charities alike are watching closely to see how the evolving narrative affects Ferguson’s professional relationships and engagement with philanthropic causes. The episode underscores the difficulty of navigating private beliefs, public statements, and the expectations of institutions that rely on high-profile patrons to raise funds and awareness for important causes. For now, Ferguson’s representatives say she remains deeply regretful for any harm caused and reiterate her condemnation of paedophilia and abuse, while acknowledging the personal toll these events have taken on her and her family.