NEED TO KNOW
- According to newly surfaced emails, Sarah Ferguson allegedly visited Jeffrey Epstein with her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, after he was released from prison
- Epstein allegedly wrote that Sarah “was the first to celebrate my release with her two daughters in tow”
- Sources say that the trio has no recollection of such a visit, claiming Beatrice and Eugenie never met Epstein
The fallout from Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein continues to unfold, with previously unseen emails reportedly showing that Epstein financially supported Sarah and that she allegedly brought daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie to visit the convicted sex offender after he was released from jail.
According to a report published by The Daily Mail, Epstein said in a 2011 email to his lawyer Paul Tweed that Sarah “was the first to celebrate my release with her two daughters in tow.”
When Epstein was released from jail in summer 2009, Beatrice and Eugenie would have been 20 and 19 years old, respectively. Epstein was convicted on June 30, 2008, in a Florida state court, charged with one count each of soliciting a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution.
A source tells PEOPLE that Beatrice and Eugenie never met Epstein. The Telegraph also reported that a source close to Sarah said the mother and daughters have no recollection of such a visit.
Princess Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Eugenie in December 2009.
Michael Caulfield/WireImage
The newly surfaced emails are reportedly from one month after Sarah gave a March 2011 interview to the London Evening Standard apologizing for her ties to Epstein and claiming she would have “nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”
According to The Daily Mail, Epstein told his lawyers in the messages that Sarah “should affirmatively state that she was misquoted.”
“[Sarah] took apartments in New York. She was the first to celebrate my release with her two daughters in tow. She visited me with [a] policeman sitting at my front desk. She has asked for help with her charities,” he reportedly wrote in the emails.
While Sarah, now 66, admitted to accepting money from Epstein before, The Daily Mail also claims the surfaced emails show that she asked to borrow much more money, up to $100,000, and that Epstein paid off debts she owed a former employee.
Last month, several charities severed ties with Sarah after a 2011 email from her to Epstein surfaced. The Sun and The Mail on Sunday reported on Sept. 20 that Sarah praised the financier as “a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family” weeks after her London Evening Standard interview.
She allegedly wrote in the email, “As you know, I did not, absolutely not, say the P (pedophile) word about you. I know you feel hellaciously let down by me. And I must humbly apologize to you and your heart for that.”
“You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family,” the message continued. “I am apologizing to you today for not replying to your email or reaching out to you. I was bedridden with fear. I was paralyzed. 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. I was broken and lost. So please understand. I didn’t want to hurt Andrew one more time. I was in overriding fear. I am sorry.”
Prince Andrew announced on Friday, Oct. 17, that he would give up the use of his royal titles and honors.
Andrew, 65, said in the statement, “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me,” he continued. “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral on Sept. 16, 2025.
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty
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Queen Elizabeth gave her second son the title of Duke of York when he married Sarah in 1986, making her the Duchess of York, a title she retained even after she and Andrew divorced in 1996.
While Prince Andrew’s ex-wife has long used Sarah Ferguson professionally, PEOPLE understands that she will now do so in all areas, meaning she will no longer use her Duchess of York title.
Meanwhile, PEOPLE understands that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s titles and positions are unaffected by the decision.
