Sarah Ferguson dropped by U.K. charities after reported Jeffrey Epstein email surfaces in British press [View all]

Source: CBS News/AP

Updated on: September 22, 2025 / 1:56 PM EDT


A number of charities on Monday severed ties with Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, after British newspapers published an email that she reportedly wrote to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, describing him as a "supreme friend.''

Julia's House, a children's hospice, said that the reported correspondence made it inappropriate for Ferguson, also known as the Duchess of York, to remain a patron. A spokesman for Ferguson said that she sent an email on the advice of her lawyers after Epstein threatened to sue her for associating him with sexual abuse in a media interview, Britain's Press Association reported.

"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 of the charity,'' the charity said. "We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support."

A food allergy charity, The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, and Prevent Breast Cancer, were also among the charities that cut ties in light of recent revelations. "We were disturbed to read of Sarah, Duchess of York's, correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein," Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, founders of the food allergy charity, said in a statement.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sarah-ferguson-uk-charities-jeffrey-epstein-email/