Duchess of York seen in Windsor for first time since charities cut ties over Epstein email

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was photographed in the back seat of a Mercedes-Benz V-Class as she was driven from her Royal Lodge home at Windsor Great Park on Monday morning, her first public appearance since a broad group of charities cut ties with her this week following revelations about an April 2011 email to Jeffrey Epstein in which she referred to him as a “supreme friend.” The image captures her leaving the residence where she lives with her former husband, Prince Andrew, under intensified scrutiny in the wake of renewed disclosures about her past dealings with Epstein.

Several charitable organizations announced on Monday that they were severing or suspending their patronage or ambassador roles with Ferguson amid the renewed focus on her correspondence with Epstein. Among those cited were the Teenage Cancer Trust, which had long counted Ferguson as a patron for 35 years, as well as Julia’s House, a Wiltshire- and Dorset-based children’s hospice; Prevent Breast Cancer; The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation; and the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals. The British Heart Foundation also said Ferguson would no longer serve as an ambassador. Julia’s House said it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron, citing the Epstein correspondence as a decisive factor. The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation said it was disturbed by the letters, while other groups noted that Ferguson had stepped away from several roles, including her post on the Youth Impact Council, a U.S.-based charity that seeks to assist young people.

The timeline surrounding the emails has been a focal point of controversy for Ferguson for more than a decade. In March 2011, she publicly apologized for accepting £15,000 from Epstein to help pay down debts, telling the Evening Standard that she abhorred any sexual abuse of children and that it was a grave error of judgment. A little over a month later, reports emerged that she sent an email to Epstein after publicly disowning him, describing Epstein as a “supreme friend” and expressing fear that she would cause further trouble for her family if she continued communications. James Henderson, Ferguson’s spokesman at the time, said the email followed a “really menacing and nasty” phone call from Epstein, who he described as having a “Hannibal Lecter-type voice” and who warned that he would destroy the York family. Henderson added that Ferguson felt enormous pressure to protect her family and that the exchange occurred long before the Duke’s life was characterized by his association with Epstein.

The Monday announcements by the charities come amid broader questions about Ferguson’s long and sometimes troubled public record. Since marrying into the royal family in 1986, the duchess has weathered a series of domestic and media episodes, including a high-profile separation from Prince Andrew in 1992, headlines over a television endorsement in 1997, and later years marked by commercial ventures and public appearances that have at times divided opinion. In recent years, reports tied to Epstein’s very public criminal case and the broader controversy over his network intensified scrutiny of those connections, including Ferguson’s.

The revelations surrounding Ferguson’s correspondence with Epstein and the subsequent withdrawals by charitable partners also intersect with ongoing legal and personal ramifications connected to Epstein’s case. Epstein died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges; his death was ruled a suicide. In 2022, Prince Andrew settled a civil suit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who has asserted she was trafficked by Epstein; the Giuffres’ relatives have publicly welcomed the recent actions by the charities as a pointed statement about accountability. Giuffre’s supporters have urged broader public condemnation of those who enabled or sought to hide abusive networks, stressing the need for justice for survivors.

The Duchess’s current visibility comes as the royal family faces ongoing questions about how past associations are handled in the present, and how philanthropic institutions navigate ties to high-profile figures with problematic histories. The charity withdrawals underscore how reputational risk and public accountability have become central in the management of charitable patronage, particularly when the figures involved have complicated personal histories.

Observers note that Ferguson’s public life has long lived at the intersection of charity, media scrutiny and royal responsibility. While some critics have argued that the duchess remains a symbol of philanthropy, others view the recent disclosures as part of a broader reckoning about transparency and the boundaries of celebrity influence within charitable causes. The current developments leave her role in certain philanthropic circles in flux, at a moment when institutions are increasingly sensitive to alignment with individuals whose past actions or associations raise red flags for donors, beneficiaries and the public alike.

As Ferguson continues to navigate this turbulent chapter, representatives of the charities involved have reiterated their commitment to the causes they support, while noting that the decision to end patronage was made after careful consideration of the public record and the impact on beneficiaries. For now, the duchess’s public appearances are likely to be weighed against ongoing inquiries and the evolving narrative surrounding Epstein’s network and the survivors’ pursuit of justice.