What you need to know
Newly released email exchanges between Sarah Ferguson and Jeffrey Epstein appear to show the former Duchess of York congratulating the convicted sex offender on the birth of a “baby boy”.
In a new set of documents released by the US Department of Justice, Mr Ferguson, 66, claimed in 2011 that he had just learned that the disgraced investor had a son.
The sender’s contact details have been redacted, but one of the messages is signed as “Sarah” and referred to as “The Duke,” and the other as “Andrew.”
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She and former Prince Andrew were married from 1986 to 1996 and had two daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35.
According to the BBC, the first email read: “I don’t know if you’re still using this BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), but I heard that Duke is having a baby boy.” The date is September 21, 2011.
She added: “Even though you never contacted me, I’m still here with love, friendship and congratulations on the birth of your baby boy. Sarah xx.”
Just eight minutes later, the redacted sender sent a second email.
The email reportedly said, “You have disappeared.” “I didn’t even know you were having a baby. It was so obvious to me that you were only friends with me to get closer to Andrew. And it really hurt me deeply, more than you will ever know.”
When contacted by PEOPLE about these latest emails, Ferguson’s representatives did not comment.
Epstein’s brother Mark Epstein told Business Insider that Epstein had no children, adding, “If Jeff had children, I think I would have known.”
But the email about Mr. Epstein possibly having a son was not the only communication between the two men.
In a message dated January 30, 2010, Mr. Ferguson wrote, “You are a legend. There are truly no words to express it. I love you and thank you for your generosity and kindness.”
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Mr. Ferguson continued, “I will take care of you. Please marry me.”
In another email from the same year, Epstein asked her about an upcoming trip to New York. Ferguson replied: “I don’t know yet. I’m just waiting for Eugenie to get back from her bad weekend!!”
Eugenie was 19 years old at the time.
All of the emails were sent after Epstein was convicted in 2008 of recruiting children and soliciting prostitutes for prostitution.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on charges of sexually abusing 14-year-old girls and died by suicide a month after awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.
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His survivors recently issued a joint statement saying the disclosure was incomplete and that his name and details were publicly released while his abuser could edit them. They are demanding full disclosure of Epstein-related files and accountability for those involved.
Mr Andrew was stripped of his royal titles last fall amid an intense investigation into his relationship with Mr Epstein. Mr Ferguson also lost several patronage roles after he was reported to have sent Mr Epstein an email apologizing for publicly disowning him in an interview with the Evening Standard in March 2011.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org.
