I was assigned to cover an appearance by Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, at the then-Westfield Village Mall in August 2002. She was on a nationwide tour for her children’s book, “Budgie the Little Helicopter.”
The mall is nice enough. Back when it first opened, some people would dress up a little to go shopping there. Even so, a Midwestern mall had to feel like a far way to fall from riding in a golden carriage on your wedding day and hanging out at Buckingham Palace with the Queen of England.
When Ferguson married Prince Andrew, the queen’s favorite son in 1986, some observers viewed her and the couple’s public displays of affection as a breath of fresh air and a welcome contrast to the royal in-laws, for whom “formal” doesn’t begin to describe it.
But not everyone was enthralled with Ferguson, with one royal watcher describing her as “a barmaid with a tiara.”
At least barmaids make an honest living.
Last week, the news broke that Ferguson — who once borrowed money from Jeffrey Epstein after he pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of a minor for prostitution then publicly criticized him once it was found out — later did an about-face with an email to Epstein lauding him as a “steadfast, supreme and generous friend.”
“I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologise (sic) to you and your heart for that,” Ferguson reportedly wrote in the email which was leaked last week.
It reminds us yet again how Epstein’s wealth gave him unprecedented impunity and access to famous and powerful people who made the conscious choice to ignore his crimes.
Give the British credit. Charities there have wasted no time in severing their ties with Ferguson. Earlier this month, the British government sacked a diplomat when his past ties to Epstein were discovered — no spin, no lies.
Meanwhile, we’ve been sent down one rabbit trail after another trying to learn who all availed themselves of Epstein’s perversion and largesse.
Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York are seen in the Royal Box ahead of the first round match between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Fabio at Wimbledon on June 30, 2025.
During recent closed-door testimony before the House Oversight Committee, former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta defended his indefensible sweetheart deal in 2008 that allowed Epstein to make a mockery of justice and flout real punishment by suggesting that some of the victims at the time were not credible.
For one thing, why was it closed-door testimony? Secondly, how dare Acosta, who has daughters, impugn women whose childhoods were destroyed by a serial predator.
Had it not been for Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown exposing Acosta’s deal with the devil, Epstein likely would not have gone to jail in 2019 and might still be alive, still abusing and trafficking girls, some as young as 12.
He might even be doing so at his estate in surburban Columbus, which he bought as an outgrowth of his connection to billionaire Les Wexner, a former business client who claims he had no knowledge of Epstein’s nefarious behavior. Wexner has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
At least one victim, Maria Farmer, told the New York Times and later Vanity Fair that Epstein and his madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, sexually abused her and her younger sister at the property in Columbus, and that she tried to warn authorities in Ohio to no avail.
As for Ferguson, her relationship with her American financial adviser John Bryan included allegedly borrowing money from him. Tabloid photos of the two resulted in a final, humiliating break in her already-fractured marriage in 1992. A $1 milion settlement was not enough to maintain the life to which she had become accustomed, resulting in years of financial struggles, thus opening the door to someone like Epstein.
As further proof that “royal” is not another word for “smart,” Andrew’s arrogant, dim-bulb responses to accusations that he, too abused girls while palling around with Epstein resulted in the loss of his royal rank and duties, privileges that were only in place as long as his mother was alive.
But Meghan Markle was the problem?
Andrew’s and Ferguson’s lives once reeked of such entitlement that it blinded them to what no other parent would ever have tolerated in a so-called friend. At the time of their ties with Epstein, they had daughters who were roughly the same age as some of those victimized by Epstein and Maxwell who recently finagled herself into a less restrictive prison; a clear violation of federal policy for incarcerating sex offenders.
During her visit here, Ferguson noted that one of the things she most admires about Americans is our willingness to grant people a second chance when they fail.
But some things can’t be fixed with an “I’m sorry.”
Epstein is dead, but many of the people who gave him cover are still alive and well, and they must answer for it.
Charita M. Goshay is a Canton Repository staff writer and member of the editorial board. Reach her at [email protected]. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Sarah Ferguson latest to be undone by Epstein scandal | Opinion
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