Teenage Cancer Trust joins other charities in dropping Duchess of York as patron

The Teenage Cancer Trust has dropped Sarah, Duchess of York as patron after 35 years following the disclosure of an email to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein in which she described him as a “supreme friend”.

Several charities severed ties with the duchess on Monday after it emerged she apologised to the sex offender in April 2011 after publicly disowning him in the media.

In a statement, the Teenage Cancer Trust said: “We have made the decision to end our relationship with the Duchess of York, and as of today she is no longer a patron of Teenage Cancer Trust.

“We have communicated this decision to the Duchess. We would like to thank the Duchess of York for her support.”

The charity’s announcement followed similar statements from Wiltshire and Dorset-based children’s hospice Julia’s House, Prevent Breast Cancer, and The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, who all cut ties with the duchess on Monday.

The British Heart Foundation also said the duchess was no longer a serving ambassador for the charity.

Julia’s House was the first to announce its decision to end its association with the duchess, saying it would be “inappropriate for her to continue as a patron of the charity” – citing her correspondence with Epstein as a deciding factor.

Prevent Breast Cancer, which the duchess became a patron of last year, also announced it was cutting ties with her.

She joined forces with the charity following her own experience with breast cancer in 2023, but a spokeswoman confirmed she was no longer a patron and thanked her for her work.

Food allergy charity The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation also announced it had dropped the duchess as a patron, with the founders saying they were “disturbed” to read her correspondence with Epstein.

The charity, which was launched after teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died from a severe allergic reaction to eating a baguette, asked the duchess to become a patron when it was founded in 2019.

In a statement, founders Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse said: “We were disturbed to read of Sarah, Duchess of York’s correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein.

“Sarah Ferguson has not been actively involved with the charity for some years.

“She was a patron, but in the light of the recent revelations, we have taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue to be associated with the charity.”

A spokeswoman for the British Heart Foundation thanked the duchess for her “support for our work” and for “her past efforts to help us save and improve lives by funding pioneering research into cardiovascular disease”, as the charity also cut ties with her.

The Sun newspaper reported that the duchess “humbly apologised” to Epstein for linking him to paedophilia in the media, describing him as “steadfast” and “generous”.

Her spokesman said it was sent “in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats”.

The email stemmed from an interview with the Evening Standard on March 7, 2011, in which she apologised for accepting £15,000 from the sex offender.

During the interview, she told the newspaper: “I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf. I am just so contrite I cannot say.

“Whenever I can, I will repay the money and have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”

A little over a month later, the duchess sent a message to Epstein, in which she said: “I know you feel hellaciously let down by me.

“And I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that.

“You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family.”

It continued: “I was advised in no uncertain terms, to have nothing to do with you and to not speak or email you.

“And if I did — I would cause more problems to you, the Duke and myself. I was broken and lost.

“So please understand. I didn’t want to hurt Andrew one more time. I was in over-riding fear. I am sorry.”

The duchess’s spokesman previously said she had spoken of her regret about her association with Epstein and “does not resile” from condemning him publicly.

He added that Epstein had threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with paedophilia.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan, in the US, in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges.

The death was ruled a suicide.