**Sarah Ferguson Faces Backlash After Leaked Email Refers to Jeffrey Epstein as “Supreme Friend”**
*Published: September 22, 2025, 5:09 p.m. ET*
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, is experiencing significant fallout following the leak of an email in which she referred to the late, disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein as her “supreme friend,” RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 65-year-old former wife of Prince Andrew was dropped by six charities she represented just one day after the 2011 email became public.
### Charities Cut Ties with Duchess of York
The Teenage Cancer Trust, Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the Children’s Literacy Charity, Prevent Breast Cancer, the British Heart Foundation, and the children’s hospice charity Julia’s House have all severed their official connections with Ferguson, who served as their royal patron.
Julia’s House, where Ferguson had been a patron since 2018, described it as “inappropriate” to continue their association with her in light of the email’s contents.
“We were disturbed to read of Sarah, Duchess of York’s, correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein,” the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation said in a statement. “She was a patron, but in light of the recent revelations, we have taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue to be associated with the charity.”
### The Controversial Email
An email printed in two British publications on Sunday, September 21, revealed Ferguson writing to Epstein, “You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family.”
This message was sent after the duchess gave an interview in which she claimed to have cut ties with Epstein, describing their friendship as a “gigantic error of judgment.” She added, “What he did was wrong and for which he was rightly jailed.”
Continuing, Ferguson expressed her abhorrence for pedophilia and any sexual abuse of children: “I abhor pedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf. I am just so contrite I cannot say.” She also referenced a $20,000 loan Epstein had given her, promising, “Whenever I can, I will repay the money and have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”
### Background on Epstein and the Interview
The interview came three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting prostitution in Florida. Epstein died in federal prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors and conspiracy.
### Ferguson’s Statement on the Email
Ferguson’s spokesperson explained that the email was sent based on advice given to the duchess in an attempt to assuage Epstein and deter a defamation lawsuit he was allegedly threatening to bring against her.
The statement read: “This email was sent in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats.”
### Comparison to Prince Andrew’s Fallout
While Ferguson’s fallout from the charities was swift, it pales in comparison to the severe consequences faced by Prince Andrew, 65, for his close friendship with Epstein.
Following a disastrous 2019 interview where the prince claimed to have no memory of meeting Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre—despite photographic evidence of them together—Andrew stepped back from royal duties to allow the controversy to cool down.
### Prince Andrew’s Punishment
Andrew’s association with Epstein continued to draw public ire, intensifying after Giuffre sued the prince in a U.S. district court in August 2021, accusing him of sexual assault when she was a teenager.
In January 2022, Queen Elizabeth II stripped Andrew of his military titles and royal patronages. He was also ordered not to use his “HRH” title in any official capacity and was banned from participating in public royal family events, including the annual Trooping the Color ceremony.
The prince reached an undisclosed out-of-court settlement with Giuffre the following month, reportedly paying around $10 million. Tragically, Giuffre died by suicide at her home in Western Australia in April.
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*Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.*
https://radaronline.com/p/sarah-ferguson-dumped-charities-jeffrey-epstein-leaked-emails/
