Seven charities have cut ties with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, after a 2011 email surfaced in which she called convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her “supreme friend” and appeared to apologise for publicly criticising him.

Julia’s House children’s hospice was the first to act, calling her role “inappropriate.” The Teenage Cancer Trust, Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, Children’s Literacy Charity, National Foundation for Retired Service Animals, Prevent Breast Cancer, and the British Heart Foundation soon followed.

The Mail on Sunday and The Sun published the email, written years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. In it, Ferguson thanked him for his generosity and apologised for distancing herself. This conflicted with her earlier public statement that her involvement with him was a “gigantic error of judgement.”

Her spokesperson explained the email was sent under legal advice to prevent Epstein from suing her for defamation, stressing she regretted any connection with him.

The scandal mirrors the downfall of her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, who stepped back from royal duties in 2019 after his own ties to Epstein drew heavy criticism.

With Epstein’s links to high-profile figures under renewed scrutiny, the backlash has damaged Ferguson’s reputation and cast doubt on her future public role, despite decades of charity work and recent praise for her support of Andrew during controversies.