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City of York is getting serious about the ex-royalBig bang for Fergie! She has now finally lost this honor
Sarah Ferguson's connection to Jeffrey Epstein is increasingly becoming her undoing.
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York City Council has unanimously stripped Sarah Ferguson of her honorary citizenship. The background is growing criticism of her connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It was a decision without any dissenting votes and with a clear message: According to the BBC, York City Council unanimously revoked Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson’s honorary citizenship in the city at an extraordinary meeting. The 66-year-old received the award in 1987 – a year after her wedding to the then Prince Andrew. Now this last symbolic connection to the city has been severed.
Claire Douglas, the city council's Labor group leader, explained the decision unequivocally: Honorary citizenship would only be awarded to people who have distinguished themselves through special services to the city. Anyone who continued to maintain contact with him after Epstein's crimes became known no longer met these requirements, she explained in reference to Sarah Ferguson. The Council examined the situation and came to the conclusion that withdrawal was the only right step to protect the integrity of this award. Previous recipients of honorary citizenship include Sir Winston Churchill and Dame Judi Dench.
The trigger for the city council's decision is the ongoing debate about Ferguson's contacts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019. Since the beginning of the year, the US Department of Justice has released millions of documents related to the Epstein case – including material that sheds new light on Ferguson's closeness to the financier. However, a mention in the Epstein files is not considered evidence of misconduct.
Ferguson's ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his honorary citizenship in 2022 – also unanimously, also at a full meeting of the city council. The request was made by Liberal Democrat Darryl Smalley after the former prince had already been stripped of his military duties and royal patronage by the Queen. Last year, King Charles went one step further and stripped his younger brother of all remaining titles and honors, including his title of prince.
What makes the situation particularly sensitive for Ferguson are concrete details from the newly released file material. According to the documents, she contacted Epstein while he was incarcerated for soliciting a minor for prostitution. She is also said to have taken her daughters to lunch with Epstein in Miami – just a few days after his release from prison.
A 2011 email in which Ferguson referred to Epstein as a “best friend” and appeared to apologize for publicly criticizing him had previously caused a stir and prompted several charities to end their collaboration with her.
Meanwhile, pressure on Ferguson to publicly respond to the allegations is increasing. As the BBC recently reported, calls are also increasing in the USA for the former Duchess to testify about her connections with Epstein. US authorities had already tried repeatedly – and in vain – to get her ex-husband to be questioned. Now the same appeals are directed at Ferguson himself.
Sources used: csp/spot
