Sarah Ferguson’s charity has announced it will close “for the foreseeable future” just days after new revelations emerged about the former duchess’s friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
On Friday, more than three million documents were published by the US Department of Justice, which revealed more about Epstein’s contact with Andrew and Sarah.
In a statement published on Monday evening, Sarah’s Trust said Ms Ferguson and the board of trustees had agreed “with regret” that the charity would close.
“This has been under discussion and in train for some months,” the statement continued. “We remain extremely proud of the work of the trust over recent years.”
The charity, launched in 2020 during the Covid pandemic, provided aid for NHS, care home and hospice staff. It had also secured money to send computers to Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
The news came after newly released files suggested that Ms Ferguson visited Epstein with her two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, just days after Epstein was released from prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
In one email dated 28 July 2009, six days after he left prison, Epstein caught up with his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, telling her how many people were billed to visit him that week.
“Ferg and the two girls come yesterday [sic],” he said. “Today [redacted].. tomomwo sultan , yesterday farkas„ sat jarecki, sunday [redacted],, monday novak [sic].”
In an email dated 27 July 2009, the day before, an account saved under “Sarah” emailed Epstein saying that she was in Miami and aiming to arrive at his house at 12.30am for lunch.
An hour before she was scheduled to arrive, she declined the offer of a lift and said: “No thank you. As I made Philip give us his car and a back up one for the policeman.”
She added: “What address shall we come to. It will be myself, Beatrice and Eugenie. Are we having lunch?”
Beatrice and Eugenie would have been aged 20 and 19 respectively at the time.
The Independent has approached a representative for the former Duchess of York for comment.
In other emails from the tranche, Ms Ferguson said Epstein was the “brother I have always wished for” and later said she needed £20,000 for rent following the collapse of her business venture.
In one email exchange from 2009, the then Duchess of York updated Epstein on potential opportunities for her business brands and books.
“In just one week, after your lunch, it seems the energy has lifted,” she wrote.
“I have never been more touched by a friends [sic] kindness than your compliment to me infront of my girls.
“Thank you Jeffrey for being the brother I have always wished for.”
The new files included emails that showed Andrew, who was married to Sarah Ferguson until 1996, maintained regular contact with Epstein for more than two years after he was found guilty of child sex crimes.
The files also include pictures appearing to show Andrew crouching over and touching the waist of an unidentified woman lying on the floor. Her face was blacked out in the redacted images.
The former Duke of York has always denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
Sarah’s Trust has closed months after seven charities dropped Ms Ferguson as patron after leaked emails appeared to show her apologising to Epstein for disowning him.
Children’s hospice Julia’s House announced the move, followed by food allergy charity The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, Prevent Breast Cancer, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the British Heart Foundation.
Both the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA) and The Children’s Literacy Charity also dropped Ms Ferguson.
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