Charities Cut Ties After Epstein Email, Payment Apology

British charities severed ties with Sarah Ferguson after newspapers published a 2011 email in which she described convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend.” The disclosure came weeks after Ferguson publicly apologised for accepting £15,000 from Epstein. Organisations including Julia’s House, the British Heart Foundation and the Teenage Cancer Trust said it was inappropriate for her to remain as a patron, and several retailers and publishers began reassessing planned book and commercial ties. Ferguson’s team says Epstein made a “chilling” phone threat to “destroy” the York family and that the email was written under duress to protect her family and career. The resurfaced correspondence—Epstein was convicted in 2008 and died in 2019—has prompted renewed scrutiny of royal connections to Epstein and raised questions about Ferguson’s finances and public role.