Sarah Ferguson has just lost one of the few honorary titles she still held. York City Council voted unanimously to strip her of the Freedom of the City, an honor she had been awarded in 1987 when she had just married the then Prince Andrew and was still the new bride of the royal family.
This is the same honor that Winston Churchill had received years earlier, as had Judi Dench. In 2022, Andrew himself had already lost this honor, along with all his royal titles, due to his connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Now it’s her turn.
Why York stripped Sarah Ferguson of her honorary title
The decision didn’t come out of nowhere. After thousands of documents related to the Epstein case were released, it became clear that Ferguson had maintained a close friendship with the financier long after his conviction for sex crimes.
Liberal Democrat Councilor Darryl Smalley put it bluntly during the debate: “We don’t expect recipients of York’s highest honor to be saints. We simply do not want them to be best friends with convicted pedophiles.”
Claire Douglas, the leader of the Labour group, was equally direct, pointing out that anyone who continued to associate with Epstein after his crimes became public knowledge does not live up to what that honor represents.
What Sarah Ferguson said about Epstein
What has fueled the controversy the most is a 2011 email in which Sarah Ferguson referred to Epstein as a “steadfast,” “generous,” and “supreme” friend to her and her family. And that was after his conviction.
Her spokesperson explained that the email was a response to legal pressure from Epstein, after she herself had described her relationship with him as a “gigantic error of judgment.” Prior to that, Ferguson had even described Epstein as “the brother I always wanted.”
The matter doesn’t end with the York title. Several U.S. congressmen, including Suhas Subramanyam of the House Oversight Committee, have asked Ferguson to testify under oath about what she knows regarding the Epstein case.
There is no legal mechanism to compel her, as she lives in the United Kingdom, but Subramanyam has publicly offered to negotiate the terms, provided it is under oath.
The family of Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s main accusers, has also asked her to testify.
In the meantime, rumors are circulating that Ferguson is considering giving a high-profile television interview. If she does, there will be considerable pressure on her to tell everything she knows.