Teenage Cancer Trust joins slew of charities to axe Sarah Ferguson over leaked Jeffrey Epstein email
Duchess has come under scrutiny after the email showed her apologising to her 'supreme friend' for publicly disowning the paedophile
Several charities have dropped Sarah Ferguson as patron following new revelations about her contact with disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
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The Duchess of York has been ousted as a patron of children's hospice Julia's House, food allergy charity The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the Children's Literacy Charity, British Heart Foundation, and Prevent Breast Cancer.
Prevent Breast Cancer said the Duchess was no longer a patron, adding: "We have advised her of this decision and thank her for her past support."
Read also: All the charities and organisations the Yorks are still patrons of
The Children's Literacy Charity said "given the recent information which has come to light about the Duchess of York and Jeffrey Epstein", they asked her to step down as patron as it would be "inappropriate" for her to continue.
The announcement by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation came just hours after the Duchess was dropped by a children's hospice.
The Teenage Cancer Trust has axed the Duchess as a patron after 35 years.
In a statement the charity announced it had dropped the duchess who has been a patron for 35 years.A spokeswoman said: “We have made the decision to end our relationship with the Duchess of York, and as of today she is no longer a patron of Teenage Cancer Trust. We have communicated this decision to the duchess.
“We would like to thank the Duchess of York for her support.”
The Duchess has come under fire after a leaked email revealed she had "humbly apologised" to the convicted sex offender whom she called a "supreme friend" and admitted she only distanced herself from him to save her own reputation.
Read more: King Charles to 'consider banning Yorks' from private, family events over latest Epstein scandal
The Duchess sent the apologetic message - seen by the Mail on Sunday - less than two months after telling journalists: "I will never have anything to do with [Epstein] again."
But, she would go on to tell Epstein in an email that she was told to speak out if she wanted to save her career as a children's author.
In a statement, Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBEs, founders of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the UK’s food allergy charity, said: “We were disturbed to read of Sarah, Duchess of York’s, correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein. Sarah Ferguson has not been actively involved with the charity for some years. She was a patron but, in the light of the recent revelations, we have taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue to be associated with the charity. We would like to thank her for her kindness and support in the past.”
Earlier children's hospice Julia's House said it would be "inappropriate" for Sarah Ferguson to remain as a patron.
Julia's House said in a statement: "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.
"We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support."
The Duchess has previously described the Dorset and Wiltshire-based hospice as a "sanctuary of harmony and joy".
It provides "practical and emotional support for families caring for a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition."
Fergie publicly denounced the disgraced Epstein on March 7, 2011, amid mounting pressure over the links she and ex-husband Prince Andrew had to him.
In an interview with the London Evening Standard, she also admitted that accepting a £15,000 bailout from Epstein was "a gigantic error of judgment... I am just so contrite I cannot say".
However, in another email - addressed to 'my dear, dear friend Jeffrey' and sent on January 22, 2011, the Duchess thanks him for helping clear huge debts racked up after years of lavish spending.
"How can I thank you enough? You are a friend indeed and I will one day give it to you back. But I can not have the words to thank you now," she wrote.
"Sometimes the heart speaks better than the words. You have my heart. With lots of love, dear Jeffrey."
In a follow-up email sent on April 26, 2011, the Duchess apologised for disowning Epstein – who was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019 – and reassured him that she had never described him as a paedophile.
"I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that," she pleaded.
The Duchess also wrote: "You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family.
"As you know, I did not, absolutely not, say the "P word" [paedophile] about you but understand it was reported that I did.
"However, I am apologising to you today for not replying to your email or reaching out to you when the tabloids were so horrendous.
"I was advised, in no uncertain terms, to have nothing to do with you and to not speak or email you and if I did I would cause more problems to you, the Duke and myself."