Prince William's 'zero tolerance' tested as Sarah Ferguson emails reveal crude comment to Epstein: expert
Prince William’s reported "zero tolerance" for royal ties to Jeffrey Epstein is being tested once again after newly released emails involving Sarah Ferguson prompted experts to say the duchess is now "unfit for any royal proximity."
An email where Ferguson made a crude comment about her then-19-year-old daughter surfaced in the latest batch of documents released by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ recently released more than 3 million Epstein records, including his personal emails. Inclusion in the files does not necessarily imply wrongdoing.
"This new revelation most certainly seals the end of any likelihood of any royal acceptance of either Sarah or Andrew," Hilary Fordwich explained to Fox News Digital, claiming Prince William is "beyond disgusted." "They are totally unfit for any royal proximity. Now Sarah can’t ever claim she was naïve, detached or unaware of reputational risk, it totally sinks her."
In one email revealed — dated March 2010 — Epstein asked Ferguson about a trip to New York. Ferguson responded, "Not sure yet. Just waiting for Eugenie to come back from a shagging weekend!!"
"What is really revolting about this new crude email revelation is how shockingly intimate Sarah’s familiarity with Epstein is," Fordwich added. "It’s further concrete evidence that she was close enough to Epstein to share such lurid details regarding her own underage daughter in such a flippant, even jocular manner."
Another email recently released by the DOJ shows Ferguson planning a lunch date with Epstein. "What address shall we come to. It will be myself, Beatrice and Eugenie," she allegedly wrote in a 2009 email thread discussing lunch with the financier in Miami.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ferguson’s representative for comment.
"No one with good taste, morals or judgment would ever have engaged with Epstein," Fordwich claimed. "This is definitely an entire arena that those with high standards wouldn’t ever touch, such as Prince William and Princess Catherine."
"Sarah was in debt due to her prolific spending, being greedy and, with dreadfully poor judgment, she turned to Epstein's wealth for bailouts… as documented in her desperate pleas for more money despite his 2008 conviction," the royal expert said. "To have planned lunches with her daughters with such a man after he was jailed for sex crimes is beyond ghastly."
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According to the Daily Mail, Ferguson reached out to Epstein in 2011 after publicly denouncing their friendship during an interview with the Evening Standard.
Ferguson expressed her "deep regret" during the interview and promised to "have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again," three years after he had been imprisoned for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
In an alleged email to Epstein following the interview, Ferguson referred to the disgraced sex offender as a "steadfast, generous and supreme friend."
In a statement to The Guardian, a representative for Ferguson said she stood by her public condemnation of Epstein.
"Like many people, she was taken in by [Epstein’s] lies. As soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him, she not only cut off contact but condemned him publicly, to the extent that he then threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with pedophilia," the statement read.
"She does not resile from anything she said then. This email was sent in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats."
While Ferguson may feel remorse, royal commentator Helena Chard noted the public response has been far more severe in light of her alleged correspondence with Epstein.
"Sarah may feel completely humiliated, and sorry for her contact with the disgraced financier Epstein for numerous reasons. However, the majority public are more than disappointed, they are appalled and surprised by her alleged disreputable behavior," Chard told Fox News Digital.
"If the emails are to be believed, Sarah was regularly in contact with Epstein. It is disappointing to think she allegedly introduced her girls into her Epstein friendship. It almost indicates she felt that she was doing no wrong."
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Royal commentator Meredith Constant predicted Princess Eugenie will continue to distance herself from her father, ex-Prince Andrew, after the latest emails came to light.
"Remember, Princess Eugenie is a patron of The Anti-Slavery Collective, which focuses on modern slavery, including sex trafficking," Constant told Fox News Digital. "Being seen publicly or written about with her father would hurt her work and possibly her status as patron of the group."
"Unlike her sister, we have seen Princess Beatrice with her father, and she invited him to her daughter's baptism late last year," she added. "It will be interesting to see how much longer she can straddle the line between supporting her father and staying within the royal fold."
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's long-standing entanglement with controversy and Ferguson's new emails have once again thrown the British royal family into uncomfortable focus.
These concerns are sharpened by the shadow of Epstein, whose connections to powerful figures continue to surface.
"Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson clearly used their public positions for private gain and have brought shame on to the royal family," royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital. "They seem to have been extremely close to Epstein and there is more, according to biographer Andrew Lownie, much more, yet to come."