Numerous United Kingdom charities have severed ties with Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, after a 2011 email emerged in which she called convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein a "supreme friend".
In the message obtained by The Mail, Ferguson — widely known by her nickname Fergie — called him a "steadfast, generous and supreme friend" and apologised for disowning him.
The Duchess of York told Epstein she had been instructed to give a critical interview about him weeks earlier to protect "my career as a children's book author and children's philanthropist".
In that interview, Ferguson vowed to "never have anything to do with" Epstein again and called a $30,000 loan the billionaire had made to her "a gigantic error of judgement".
Ferguson 'humbly apologises' to Epstein
But in her later email, Ferguson said: "I know you feel hellaciously let down by me. And I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that."
Ferguson, 65, has previously said Epstein gave her the loan to help her pay off her debts.
On Monday, at least six charities she had been a patron of confirmed that they had terminated her involvement following the email release, each thanking her for her past work and support.
They included the British Heart Foundation, the children's hospice Julia's House, the Children's Literacy Charity, a leading food allergy foundation, the Prevent Breast Cancer group, as well as the Teenage Cancer Trust organisation.
What has Ferguson said about the email?
Ferguson's spokesperson declined to comment on the charities' action, having previously said that she sent the email to Epstein because she wanted to counter the threat that he might sue her for defamation.
Ferguson, who married Andrew in 1986 before the couple divorced a decade later, has since reinvented herself as an author, media personality and charity patron.
She has remained close to Andrew — whose elder brother is King Charles — and has stayed loyal to him after his public downfall over his own connections to Epstein.
