FOR Sarah Ferguson and her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the latest release of emails linked to Jeffrey Epstein brings renewed and deeply uncomfortable scrutiny.
The disclosures follow the circulation of a photograph showing the Duke of York kneeling over a woman lying on the floor, and add further embarrassment by repeatedly naming his former wife and their daughters within the correspondence itself.
The emails show the former Duchess of York – who has previously faced questions over her association with Epstein – expressing warm affection for the late financier, once describing him as “the brother I have always wished for”. They also shed more light on her financial difficulties and requests for money, while dragging her daughters into the narrative through a series of candid and, at times, crude exchanges.
All of the emails date from after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor. None of the correspondence indicates criminal wrongdoing by those named.
Prince Andrew has consistently and emphatically denied any wrongdoing. His office has been contacted for comment, as have representatives for Sarah Ferguson.
Below are some of the key revelations from the latest tranche of documents.
‘I am at your service. Just marry me’
Several emails underline the closeness of Ferguson’s relationship with Epstein.
In one exchange from 2009, the then Duchess of York updates him enthusiastically on new opportunities for her business ventures and books. She tells him that, following a lunch together, “the energy has lifted”.
“I have never been more touched by a friends [sic] kindness than your compliment to me infront of my girls,” she writes.
“Thank you Jeffrey for being the brother I have always wished for.”
A year later, another email, sent from an address identified as “Sarah”, is even more effusive.
“You are a legend. I really don’t have the words to describe, my love, gratitude for your generosity and kindness,” she says, before adding:
“Xx I am at your service. Just marry me.”
‘Fergie can now say, I am not a pedo,’ Epstein write
The emails also suggest Epstein hoped Ferguson might help rehabilitate his reputation.
By this point, he had been accused of abusing dozens of teenage girls between 1999 and 2007. In 2008 he struck a plea deal, avoiding federal sex trafficking charges and instead pleading guilty to lesser state offences, for which he served 13 months in prison.
One exchange from March 2011, believed to be from Epstein to three associates including his publicist, includes the line:
“I think Fergie can now say, I am not a pedo.”
It goes on to claim that Ferguson had been “DUPED into believing false stories” and could say she had been “told horrible things and she reacted”.
In a reply, Epstein’s publicist, Mike Sitrick, outlines a strategy to “get newspapers to stop calling you a pedophile and get the truth out”, suggesting one tactic would be to “get Fergie to retract”.
The following month, a “Sarah” emails Epstein to say she “did not” and “would not” call him a “P”, adding that she had acted to “protect my own brand”.
‘I urgently need £20,000 for rent today’
The documents also detail Ferguson’s financial troubles.
In 2009, following the collapse of a business venture, she appears to email Epstein with an urgent request:
“I urgently need 20,000 pounds ($27,521) for rent today.
“The landlord has threatened to go to the newspapers if I don’t pay. Any brainwaves?”
The exchange begins with an email from David Stern, a lawyer and former commissioner of the US National Basketball Association, who forwards Epstein an ABC News article headlined Duchess of Debt? Closure of Sarah Ferguson’s Business. The piece questioned whether the Duchess’s finances were “in jeopardy”.
“You have a rat,” Epstein replies, copying in an address labelled “ferg”, and speculating that the leak came from disgruntled investors or creditors. He advises caution over how the situation is handled.
“Correct,” comes the response, naming an investor said to have breached a confidentiality agreement. “ABC and all this is being handled by my lawyer,” Ferguson adds – before raising the issue of rent.
The email chain appears to end there. Elsewhere in the files are references to lawyers’ letters concerning efforts to settle her debts, and an email from Epstein claiming he had supported her financially for 15 years.
Eugenie’s love life referenced
Both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are mentioned at various points in the correspondence.
In one email dated 21 March 2010, Epstein writes to a redacted address simply: “ny?” The reply reads: “Not sure yet. Just waiting for Eugenie to come back from a shagging weekend!!”
No further context is provided, and because the sender’s address is redacted, it cannot be confirmed who wrote the reply.
Princess Eugenie, the younger daughter of Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, is currently 12th in line to the throne. She met her future husband, Jack Brooksbank, on a skiing trip in Switzerland in 2010.
In another exchange a few months later, Epstein emails Ferguson on 1 July 2010 to say he will be in London and asks whether Beatrice and Eugenie – then aged 21 and 20 – might be able to “say h=llo” [sic].
Ferguson replies two days later: Beatrice is in London with Andrew, while “Eugie is away with cool boyfri=d” [sic].
The emails also suggest a lunch took place between Epstein, Ferguson and her daughters. In July 2009, Epstein asks “where are you?” A reply from a contact listed as “Sarah” says she is in Miami and staying at “Phillip Levine house with the girls”.
“I am aiming to get to you for 12:30 for lunch. Does that suit?” she writes, confirming that those attending would be “myself, Beatrice and Eugenie”.
‘Fergie said she could organise tea’ at royal residences
The emails once again highlight the extent of Epstein’s access to Britain’s social elite – access that, on occasion, appears to have been facilitated by Ferguson.
On 8 February 2010, Prince Andrew’s private secretary, Amanda Thirsk, wrote to Epstein on Ferguson’s behalf, inviting him to the Duke’s 50th birthday party at St James’s Palace later that month.
“It will be suits and cocktail dresses, and you know me, mysterious mischief, so bring your presents, your presence and your humour!” the email reads. Epstein is advised he will need to show his passport on arrival.
No response from Epstein appears in the file, though a later follow-up from the Duke of York’s office asks whether he will attend.
In another email from 2009, Epstein tells hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin that “fergie said she could organize tea in the buckingham palace apts.. or windsor castle” [sic], suggesting Dubin contact her directly.
Private loyalty, private contempt
Despite Ferguson’s evident loyalty, Epstein was not always complimentary about her behind her back.
In September 2011, he forwards a link to a Daily Mail article covering Princess Beatrice’s university graduation, adding:
“Pic of F from Friday. not the prettiest site….” [sic]
No reply is included in the file. Set against Ferguson’s repeated praise of Epstein elsewhere, the remark is particularly humiliating.
As ever, it is important to note that being named in these files does not imply wrongdoing. Many individuals identified in earlier releases have denied any involvement in criminal activity linked to Epstein.
Representatives for Sarah Ferguson have again been approached for comment.
Nevertheless, the damage to the York family’s reputation appears profound. The Duke of York is due to leave Royal Lodge, having already been stripped of his titles and honours. His former wife will also have to move home, though where she will go remains unclear. Several charities have already severed ties with her over her Epstein links, and these latest revelations are unlikely to help.
Princesses Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, retain their royal titles as daughters of a son of the sovereign. But once again, these emails raise the question of whether they can ever fully disentangle themselves from the fallout of their parents’ associations.
