Duchess of York's email is another sign Epstein is a scandal the royals can't shake

The Duchess of York in recent years has seemed to be back in the royal fold.

She appeared at Sandringham for Christmas and just on Monday she was alongside the rest of the Windsors and Prince Andrew, for the Duchess of Kent's funeral.

Fast forward to this weekend and she's right at the centre of the latest Jeffrey Epstein scandal, a problem the royals just can't seem to shift.

The email that's emerged from Sarah Ferguson is a grovelling apology to the convicted paedophile, another example of the apparent lengths it seems people would go to not to upset Jeffrey Epstein; just think of the recent messages from Peter Mandelson that cost him his job, and the card allegedly written by Donald Trump.

Blackmail is the reasoning given by a spokesperson for the Duchess of York writing her email. Epstein was threatening her and she wrote the email to try to prevent him from suing her for defamation.

She says she was taken in by his lies and feels nothing but sympathy for the victims. Regret is the overriding tone of her spokesperson's statement.

People often talk about how powerful Jeffrey Epstein was. He knew people's secrets and others had become financially dependent on his support. It came out in March 2011 that he had given Sarah Ferguson £15,000.

Of course it's her ex-husband Prince Andrew who in the past has had the most difficult questions to answer regarding his association with Epstein.

He has always denied any wrongdoing.

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But there is the threat of more documents being released in America, in which he could be named, and a book written by Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew's accuser, before she died, is also due to be released on the 21 October.

The Duke of York was absent from the Trump state visit this week, despite living on the Windsor Estate, but a reminder of Epstein, for Trump and the royals, was still there.

With his image projected by protestors on to the side of Windsor Castle, he is an unwelcome spectre that continues to hang over not just Prince Andrew but the entire institution.

(c) Sky News 2025: Duchess of York's email is another sign Epstein is a scandal the royals can't shake