Sarah Ferguson facing mounting calls to testify to Congress over her links to Jeffrey Epstein
Sarah Ferguson is facing mounting pressure to testify to US authorities about her links to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The former Duchess of York has not been seen in public for months as the scandal over her and ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s friendship with the disgraced financier deepened.
Members of Congress have now joined calls for the 66-year-old businessman to testify under oath to the House Oversight Committee investigating the prosecution of the late businessman.
Committee member Suhas Subramanyam said he now believed he had “information relevant to the investigation.”
“Sarah Ferguson should give an affidavit to our committee,” he told the BBC.
There is no legal mechanism to force Ms. Ferguson to testify in the United States, but the Democratic congressman said lawmakers would be “happy to find favorable terms for her” provided she is sworn in.
His calls were echoed by Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, who called on anyone with knowledge of the wrongdoings of Epstein and his associates to cooperate to help achieve justice for victims.
“If Ferguson or anyone in his family has such information, our responsibility is to follow the facts wherever they lead,” he added.
The family of Virginia Giuffre, the Epstein victim who has accused Mr Mountbatten-Windsor of sexual assault, which he denies, said they “strongly” believed Ms Ferguson should answer questions in the US.
A representative for Ms Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts added: “If Ferguson knows anything, he should testify in the US immediately.”
US lawmakers have long called for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested last month and released under investigation on suspicion of abuse of public office, to answer questions about his ties to Epstein. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
But the pressure is now being extended to his ex-wife after emails revealed in the latest installment of the Epstein files reveal the depth of his friendship with the sex offender.
Documents show Ms. Ferguson continued the friendship after he was convicted of a child sex offender in 2008 for procuring a minor for prostitution.
In a 2009 email exchange, the then-Duchess of York called Epstein “the brother I always wished for” while informing him of potential opportunities for her trademarks and books.
The following year, in another email between “Sarah” and Epstein, Sarah calls him a “legend” and describes her “gratitude” for him.
She added: “Xx, I’m at your service. Just marry me.”
Documents released by the US Department of Justice in January also allege that Epstein took his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to lunch with him shortly after he was released from prison. The presence of his name in the files is not an indication of crime.
She lost her title as duchess in October after her ex-husband renounced his title as Duke of York due to his connections to Epstein. He also had to move from his large home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor.
His whereabouts have been unknown since then; unconfirmed reports suggest he was in a health center in the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Switzerland or Ireland.
Speculation is also mounting that he has offered to do a tell-all interview, or that he may consider writing a memoir, having already published dozens of books.
Media lawyer Jonathan Coad, who has represented Ferguson in defamation and privacy cases in the past, said he had no chance of traveling to the US to testify.
“Of course he won’t go, and if he were still a client of mine, my strongest advice to him would be not to go,” he told the BBC.
“This would be a disaster for her, for her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, but also for Andrew because it would reveal that he is not gone.”
Many UK charities cut ties with the former royal family in September as details of their links to Epstein began to emerge.
Last month, her charity Sarah’s Trust announced it would close “for the foreseeable future”.
Independent He contacted Ms Ferguson’s representatives for comment.
