Leaked emails have reignited controversy around Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, revealing alleged visits to Jeffrey Epstein following his release from a Florida jail in 2009 and suggesting a long history of financial entanglement with the disgraced financier. The revelations have placed renewed scrutiny on both Ferguson and her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, whose own ties to Epstein continue to haunt the royal family.
According to correspondence obtained by the Mail on Sunday, Epstein wrote to his lawyer Paul Tweed in April 2011 claiming Ferguson "was the first to celebrate my release with her two daughters in tow." He added that she "took apartments in New York" and "asked for help with her charities," referring to Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35.
Epstein, who was under house arrest at the time, described Ferguson's outreach as immediate and enthusiastic. "[She] visited me with [a] policeman sitting at my front desk," he wrote. The emails further suggest Epstein had financially supported Ferguson for years, complaining to friends that her requests far exceeded the £15,000 ($20,000) she publicly admitted to taking.
In one message, Ferguson reportedly asked Epstein if she could borrow "50 or 100,000 US dollars to help get through the small bills that are pushing me over," and joked about visiting his private island, writing, "Is it unavailable to bankrupts?" Epstein allegedly covered some of her debts, including payments to a former staffer, but expressed frustration when she failed to repay him.
A People magazine source countered that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie "never met Epstein," while another told The Telegraph that neither Ferguson nor her daughters recalled visiting him after his release. Ferguson had issued a "heartfelt apology" in March 2011, telling the London Evening Standard she wanted "nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again."
Despite the apology, the newly surfaced messages portray a different dynamic. In one email published by the Mail on Sunday, Ferguson called Epstein a "steadfast, generous and supreme friend." She also wrote, "I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that."
The fallout has been swift. Several charities, including Julia's House, Teenage Cancer Trust, and Prevent Breast Cancer, have dropped Ferguson as patron following the leaked correspondence. "Following the information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York's correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, Julia's House has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron," the hospice said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Ferguson's representative told The Guardian that the duchess "was taken in by [Epstein's] lies" and had "cut off contact" once she learned the extent of his crimes. "She does not resile from anything she said then," the statement continued, adding that the 2011 email was written under advice "to try to assuage Epstein and his threats."
The scandal also casts a shadow over Prince Andrew, who released a statement on October 17 addressing the latest claims tied to Epstein's network. "With His Majesty's agreement, we feel I must now go a step further," Andrew said, announcing he would "no longer use [his] title or the honours which have been conferred upon [him]."
Even as Andrew retreats from public life and Ferguson loses charitable roles, both have remained publicly loyal to one another. "Sarah will always stand by Andrew; she will always have love for him," a source told Page Six.
