Jeffrey Epstein assembled material to use against Sarah Ferguson after she sought to publicly distance herself from the convicted sex offender in a 2011 newspaper interview, freshly disclosed emails reveal.
Speaking to the Evening Standard on March 7, 2011, the former Duchess of York expressed deep regret over her association with Epstein.
"I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf," she said, after it emerged she had accepted roughly £15,000 from him.
Within days of those remarks being published, the documents show Epstein began compiling a dossier of their private correspondence designed to contradict her public statements and force her to retract them, as reported by The i Paper.
The dossier, which was forwarded to Epstein's lawyers and a public relations adviser working for the legal team, contained a message in which Ms Ferguson attempted to arrange a visit with her daughters, then aged 19 and 20, to Epstein's Palm Beach residence shortly after his 2010 release from prison, where he had served time for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Epstein also gathered messages in which the former duchess appeared to seek his assistance, including a request that he give her employment and a declaration that "you are my pillar".
Alongside these exchanges, he appended a note claiming Ms Ferguson had used his Florida home to entertain a lover and a millionaire businessman with whom she was pursuing a profitable deal.
The pressure campaign intensified rapidly.
On March 9, Epstein emailed his PR adviser suggesting they leak details to the London press about Ms Ferguson having visited him even while he was serving his sentence, noting that law enforcement officers present during his work release had allowed her in.
By March 13, Epstein's lawyers and their media consultants were debating further tactics.
One adviser wrote: "One of your good friends, a member of the Royal family, is calling you a pedophile... If gentle persuasion doesn't work, it is my view that we need to turn up the heat even to the point of sending her a draft defamation lawsuit."
In April 2011, a formal letter was dispatched to Ms Ferguson's solicitor urging her to "reconsider her current stance", warning that Epstein's side would otherwise expose the fact that she and her daughters had been "among the first to enjoy my client's hospitality upon his release from prison".
Ms Ferguson's representative branded the communication "somewhat alarming", stating it "could be construed as attempted blackmail".
The standoff continued through the spring and summer, with both sides exchanging drafts of a proposed apology letter bearing Ms Ferguson's name.
Epstein made his fury plain on March 27, writing: "Your friend of 16 years has been put through hell, you should do everything you can to fix it including a statement of clarification."
Ms Ferguson sent multiple messages of contrition directly to Epstein.
In one, she wrote: "I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read and I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that."
By August 12, the pair appeared to have reconciled. Epstein invited her to telephone him, and she responded: "I would love to call you."
Following what seems to have been their conversation, Ms Ferguson sent a two-word message: "Big love."
GB News has contacted Ms Ferguson for comment.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
