Natalie Dormer donates ITV drama salary to sexual abuse charities amid Sarah Ferguson controversy

Natalie Dormer has said she will donate her entire salary for portraying Sarah Ferguson in the ITV drama The Lady to charities that assist victims of sexual abuse, after saying she could not reconcile her values with the duchess's conduct. The 43-year-old actress said she would forgo any promotional duties for the series as part of her response.

In a statement, Dormer explained that new information had emerged that made it impossible to continue with the project in a way that aligns with her values, calling Ferguson's behaviour inexcusable. She said she would donate her entire salary to charity and would not participate in promotion of the show.

The Lady is described as a drama about Jane Andrews, the Duchess of York's dresser, tracing her rise from a working-class background to a position within Buckingham Palace and her eventual fall from grace. The official synopsis notes that Jane answered an advertisement in The Lady, rose into Britain’s upper circles, and later faced the consequences of her relationship with a wealthy suitor as the series unfolds.

Following the emergence of an Epstein-related email in which Ferguson apologized for publicly disowning him, several charities ended their patronage of the duchess. Among those cutting ties were the Teenage Cancer Trust, Julia’s House, Prevent Breast Cancer, The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, and the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals. The British Heart Foundation also said Ferguson was no longer an ambassador, and Julia’s House said it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron. Other groups described the correspondence with Epstein as troubling, prompting a broader reassessment of her charitable roles.

The new reporting also notes that Ferguson resigned from the US Youth Impact Council, and it recounts the timeline surrounding the apology and the subsequent fallout. Epstein, a financier, died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Prince Andrew settled a civil suit with Virginia Giuffre in 2022, a case that has continued to fuel public debate about accountability in high-profile abuse cases.

Despite the controversy, The Lady remains in production, and Dormer remains attached to the project in the lead role. A network spokesperson did not indicate whether promotional plans would be altered further as a result of these developments.