Sarah Ferguson responds after reports she called Epstein her 'supreme friend'

Sarah Ferguson has broken her silence after reports resurfaced that she sent a grovelling apology email to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago. 

The Duchess, 64, was said to have written to Epstein in 2011, shortly after publicly pledging to never contact him again following revelations she had accepted £15,000 from him to clear a personal debt.

In the alleged email, Ferguson appeared to call Epstein a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend” and expressed regret for not responding sooner, claiming she had been “bedridden with fear” and “paralysed.” 

She also wrote that she was advised against any contact with him as it would cause further issues for herself, Prince Andrew, and Epstein.

Amid the backlash, her spokesperson has clarified that the message was written under duress, stressing: “The Duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victims. Like many people, she was taken in by his lies.”

The statement added that Epstein had even threatened to sue her for defamation when she condemned him publicly. 

“She does not resile from anything she said then,” the spokesman confirmed.

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