The Duchess of York sent a sympathetic email to Jeffrey Epstein because he threatened to “destroy her” in a “Hannibal Lecter-style” phone call.
A spokesperson for Sarah Ferguson said that the convicted paedophile was angry after she said in a 2011 interview that she had made a “terrible, terrible error of judgment” in accepting £15,000 from him to pay off her debts.
Epstein reportedly made a “chilling” phone call to Ms Ferguson in which he threatened to take legal action, according to The Telegraph.
It comes after the Duchess faced criticism over an email she sent to Epstein in 2011, where she called him a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend” – just weeks after she told reporters she would “never have anything to do with” the convicted sex offender again.
Ms Ferguson has since been dropped by seven charities, who have said it would be “inappropriate” for her to remain as their patron or ambassador following the revelation.
Her spokesperson told The Telegraph: “People don’t understand how terrible Epstein was. I can remember everything about that call.
“It was a chilling call and I’m surprised anybody was ever friends with him given the way he talked to me.
“He said he would destroy the York family and he was quite clear on that. He said he would destroy me. He wasn’t shouting. He had a Hannibal Lecter-type voice. It was very cold and calm and really menacing and nasty.”
The spokesperson said it was understandable why the Duchess had sent the placating email, according to the newspaper, because of his threat to ruin her life and her family’s; the duchess shares two daughters with the Duke of York, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.
The Independent has approached the Duchess of York’s spokesperson for comment.
Children’s hospice Julia’s House announced on Monday that it had cut ties with the duchess, followed by food allergy charity The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, Prevent Breast Cancer, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the British Heart Foundation, and The Children’s Literacy Charity.
The National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA) has also dropped Ms Ferguson, according to the BBC.
The duchess gave an interview to the Evening Standard on 7 March 2011 in which she expressed remorse for her connection with the disgraced financier.
“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,” she told the newspaper. “Whenever I can, I will repay the money and have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.”
Little over a month later, reports suggest the duchess sent an email from her private account to the convicted paedophile, where she apologised for her comments and told him she had felt “broken and lost” after being told not to associate with him.
The email is reported to have read: “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. I am apologising to you today for not replying to your email or reaching out to you.
“I was bedridden with fear. I was paralysed. 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 overriding fear. I am sorry.”
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges. The death was ruled a suicide.
