Charity founded by Sarah Ferguson shuts down after release of Epstein emails with former duchess

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LONDON (AP) — The charity founded by Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, is shutting down following the release of emails showing the depth of her friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Sarah’s Trust, which focused on improving the lives of women and children, said it will close for the “foreseeable future,’’ following the revelations in latest documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice. Ferguson is the ex-wife of the former Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles due to his own links with Epstein.

“Our chair Sarah Ferguson and the board of trustees have agreed that with regret the charity will shortly close for the foreseeable future,’’ the trust said in a statement late on Monday. “This has been under discussion and in train for some months.’’

Emails released on Friday revealed that Ferguson remained in contact with Epstein long after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. In the email exchanges, Ferguson referred to Epstein as a “legend’’ and “the brother I have always wished for.’’

In one exchange, from March 2011, Epstein complained about a story in London’s Evening Standard newspaper in which he was identified as a pedophile and Ferguson said she had “deep regret” over her ties to Epstein.

The following month, someone identified as “Sarah” emailed Epstein saying she “did not” and “would not” call him a “P” and that she had acted to “protect my own brand.”

When asked about the case at the World Governments Summit, Prince Edward, the youngest child of the late Queen Elizabeth II, said “it's all really important always to remember the victims and who are the victims in all this.”