Sarah Ferguson Visited Jeffrey Epstein during Jail Term
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Former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson visited convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein twice at his Palm Beach office during his jail term, emails have revealed. She also planned to visit him a third time but travel plans fell through.
The shocking revelation comes from emails between Ferguson and Epstein that The Telegraph has discovered. The emails are from 2009, when Epstein was jailed on a child sex offence and granted access to a generous work release program. This allowed him to leave his cell for up to 12 hours a day.
Sarah Ferguson is a British royal and the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. She is also the Duchess of York in her own right. Her email exchanges with Epstein, which started in April 2009, have raised eyebrows about her relationship with the convicted sex offender.
Ferguson visited Epstein at the Palm Beach office of the fake company he invented to secure work release while in jail. The company, the Florida Science Foundation, was a front for Epstein's sex trafficking activities, according to investigators.
Epstein's victims have alleged that he abused them at the office on 250 South Australian Avenue while he was supposed to be in jail at the nearby Palm Beach County Stockade. Roza, one of Epstein's estimated 1200 victims of sexual abuse, told Congress in May that he had offered her a job at the foundation while he was jailed between June 2008 and July 2009, and that he had abused her at the office.
Ferguson sent Epstein a message on April 4, 2009, asking if she could stop by for 'a quick cup of tea' during a layover in Florida. Epstein replied, offering to meet her at the office, which was 'ten minutes from the airport.' He even told her she looked 'great' and that he had read everything she gave him.
Ferguson had dropped off documents relating to her Mother's Army initiative, an online network she launched the next year to connect women in need. She replied to Epstein, telling him she was 'so proud of you' and thanking him for looking after her.
Ferguson made plans to visit Epstein again for lunch in early April 2009 but cancelled at the last minute due to travel issues.
And in another email exchange, former UK Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson phoned Epstein at his Palm Beach office from London, discussing the fallout from the MPs' expenses scandal. Mandelson also video-called Epstein at the Florida Science Foundation's office while he was staying at Epstein's New York townhouse.
Epstein's assistant said she would set up the call in 'Mr Mandelson's Oval Office for him.' Mandelson has been stripped of various titles and honours over his links to Epstein. He initially claimed he 'never saw any evidence of criminal activity' during their relationship.
Ferguson and Epstein continued to discuss her Mother's Army initiative via email for several months after the initial visit. She even posted documents to the fake headquarters in June 2009.
The UK MailOnline has reported that Ferguson later visited Epstein with her two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, when he was released from jail and placed under house arrest. But it is unclear if this is true - and the former Royal has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
What We Know
- Sarah Ferguson visited Jeffrey Epstein twice at his Palm Beach office in 2009, while he was in jail for a child sex offence.
- Ferguson planned to visit him a third time but travel plans fell through.
- She had discussed her Mother's Army initiative with Epstein via email after the initial visit.
- Ferguson has denied any wrongdoing after reports of a later visit to Epstein's mansion with her daughters.