Sarah Ferguson in 'permanent disgrace' amid Jeffrey Epstein email scandal as royal comeback now 'unlikely'
The Duchess of York has been dropped by several charities over the newsSarah Ferguson could end up in “permanent disgrace” amid the scandal surrounding a leaked email she sent to Jeffrey Epstein, a royal commentator has said.
The Duchess of York, 65, faces fresh scrutiny this week over an email she wrote to convicted sex offender Epstein in 2011. She reportedly sent it just weeks after vowing publicly to cut ties with him.
As a result, a number of charities that Sarah worked closely with have cut ties with the duchess. Now, one royal commentator thinks any chance of a royal “comeback” appears “unlikely” for Sarah.
Sarah Ferguson’s email to Jeffrey Epstein
As reported by The Sun on Sunday, a message to Epstein was sent from Sarah’s private email address in April 2011.
The email was reportedly sent just weeks after the duchess did an interview with the Evening Standard. In the interview, she vowed to cut all ties with Epstein after accepting £15,000 from him to help settle debts.
Sarah said she would “have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again”. She also said accepting money from him was a “gigantic error of judgement”.
In one part of the interview, Sarah said: “I personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me. I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgement on my behalf.”
However, just weeks later in April 2011, Sarah reportedly emailed Epstein where she described him as a “supreme friend”.
She also wrote: “I was advised in no uncertain terms, to have nothing to do with you and to not speak or email you. I didn’t want to hurt [Prince] Andrew one more time; I was in overriding fear. I am sorry.”
Duchess of York statement on leaked email
A spokesperson for the duchess has now claimed that the email was sent under duress.
“The duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago. Her first thoughts are with his victims,” the spokesperson told The Sun.
“Like many people, she was taken in by his lies. As soon as she was aware of the full extent of the allegations against him, she cut off contact and condemned him publicly, to the extent that he then threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with paedophilia.
“She does not shrink back from anything she said then. This email was sent in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats.”
Since the email emerged, several charities have dropped Sarah. These include Julia’s House, a children’s hospice charity serving families in Dorset and Wiltshire.
‘Truly in disgrace’
Now, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams has spoken to Royal Insider about what this could mean for Sarah.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: “A comeback for ‘Fergie’ seems unlikely. But her behaviour and debts have caused problems for years and she has an unerring ability to bounce back.
Read more: Inside Sarah Ferguson’s ‘turbulent’ relationship with late mother Susan that left ‘profound scars’
“The toe sucking affair and when she offered access to Andrew for £500,000 to the ‘fake sheikh’ in 2010, were bizarre enough. She was exiled from the royal family for many years.”
Meanwhile, he added: “Absence from all royal events seems the likely outcome now. She is truly in disgrace and more may well emerge.”
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