Several charities have dropped Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson as a patron or ambassador after a leaked email in which she called paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein a “supreme friend”. Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. I am sorry.”Ferguson’s spokesperson said Epstein had threatened to sue her for defamation after associating him with paedophilia. “This email was sent in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats,” the spokesperson said. Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.