Seven charities have dropped the Duchess of York as a patron or ambassador after an email from 2011 revealed that she called sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her 'supreme friend' and seemed to apologise for her public criticism of him.
Julia's House, a children's hospice, was the first to remove Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew's ex-wife, stating it was 'inappropriate' for her to continue in the role.
The Teenage Cancer Trust, Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, Children's Literacy Charity, National Foundation for Retired Service Animals, and Prevent Breast Cancer also announced they had dropped the duchess as patron.
The British Heart Foundation stated she would no longer serve as its ambassador.
A spokesperson for the duchess said she was not commenting on the charities' decisions to sever their connections. The controversy follows the Mail on Sunday and Sun newspapers' publication of the 2011 email, sent after Ferguson had publicly claimed to have ended contact with Epstein.
In the email, she expressed private apologies for her denunciation of Epstein, stating: 'You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family.'
This contradicted her previous statements where she labeled her association with Epstein as a 'gigantic error of judgement' and condemned his actions.
Critics argue that these connections detrimentally affect Ferguson's public image, particularly in her philanthropic endeavors involving children.
