PR expert warns Duchess of York is becoming “toxic” amid Epstein email fallout
Sarah Ferguson is facing fresh turmoil as a string of charities have ended their associations with her following the backlash over her leaked email to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duchess of York has been under intense scrutiny since the resurfacing of a personal message in which she described Epstein as her “supreme friend.” The convicted sex offender, who died in 2019, has long cast a shadow over those connected to him, and Ferguson’s sympathetic remarks have drawn sharp criticism.
In the email, which quickly went viral, she also distanced herself from using the term “paedophile” for Epstein during a television appearance. After mounting outrage, her spokesperson issued a statement claiming she had been under legal pressure from Epstein when the message was sent and that she “deeply regrets” writing it.
Even with that clarification, the damage has been severe. Charities including Julia’s House children’s hospice, The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the British Heart Foundation, The Children’s Literacy Charity, Prevent Breast Cancer, the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals, and The Teenage Cancer Trust have all cut ties with Ferguson.
Public relations expert Mark Borkowski told Express the fallout is devastating for her image and her future prospects. “The leaked emails are reputational napalm,” he said. “Julia’s House severing ties is not a side note; it’s a siren.”
He warned that Ferguson’s reputation is now so compromised that sponsors, publishers, and producers may also back away. “When a children’s hospice decides the reputational risk of association outweighs the patronage of a Duchess, the verdict is clear: she is toxic,” he explained, adding that the scandal could ultimately lead to “financial destitution dressed up as disgrace.”
