Newly uncovered records have revealed Sarah Ferguson visited Jeffrey Epstein at an office linked to a company he used while serving a jail sentence for child sex offences.
According to documents cited by the Telegraph, the former Duchess of York met with the disgraced financier at the Palm Beach offices of the Florida Science Foundation twice, a company Mr Epstein operated from while participating in a work release program following his 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution.
The arrangement allowed Mr Epstein to leave jail for up to 12 hours each day, during which he continued conducting business and meeting visitors.
Court records show Ms Ferguson first reached out to Mr Epstein on April 4, 2009, asking whether she could “stop by for a quick cup of tea” while passing through Florida.
She signed the email: “Love Sarah The Red Head.!!”
Mr Epstein replied by sending the address of his office, telling her it was “10 minutes from (the airport).”
After the visit, Mr Epstein emailed Ms Ferguson saying she looked “great” and added he had read “everything you gave me”, referring to material she had shared relating to her Mum’s Army initiative.
The pair later organised another meeting for April 20, 2009, but it never took place after the former Duchess of York’s travel plans changed.
On the day of the planned visit she wrote: “Aaaaghhh. . . Cannot make the flights.”
Before cancelling, Ms Ferguson told Mr Epstein she was hoping for a “brainstorming of your genius ideas”.
Although the meeting was abandoned, records show Ms Ferguson later called Mr Epstein from the UK before travelling to Florida for a second visit on May 13, 2009.
The Telegraph reports Mr Epstein enlisted several associates to help organise the meeting, while his assistant scheduled other appointments around Ms Ferguson’s visit.
The Palm Beach office formed a key part of Mr Epstein’s controversial work release arrangement and was later identified by alleged victims as a location where abuse occurred during the period he was serving his sentence.
A visitor log covering the time was later destroyed under document retention rules, according to a 2021 investigation.
A spokesperson for Ms Ferguson has previously maintained she severed ties with Mr Epstein once she became aware of the full extent of the allegations against him.
“Like many people, she was taken in by his lies,” the spokesperson said, according to Sky News.
“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 paedophilia.”
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