Jeffrey Epstein ‘tried to sue Prince Andrew’s ex Sarah Ferguson’ for calling him a ‘paedo’ after he paid her £15k debts
SARAH Ferguson was threatened with legal action by Jeffrey Epstein after she called him a paedo, reports claim.
The Duchess of York spoke out against the disgraced financier in 2011 after it emerged she had accepted £15,000 from Epstein to pay her debts.
After the revelation sparked an outcry, Fergie apologised for her “error of judgement” in a statement in which she declared: “I abhor paedophilia”.
Ferguson admitted that Epstein, who was jailed in 2008 for soliciting a 14-year-old girl for prostitution, paid £15,000 to her former personal assistant to cover unpaid wages.
She told the Evening Standard: “I deeply regret Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me.
“I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf.
“I am just so contrite I cannot say. Whenever I can I will repay the money and will have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.
“What he did was wrong and for which he was rightly jailed.”
In the interview, Fergie appeared to say that her ex-husband Prince Andrew handled the negotiations with Epstein on her behalf.
In a subsequent statement, however, she said Epstein made a "number of offers" directly to her.
The reported that Epstein was furious at her suggestion he was a paedophile and threatened to sue her.
A source said: “Epstein tried to force the duchess to release a statement retracting her suggestion that he was a paedophile which he had drafted by his PR firm.
“Epstein was very unpleasant and very aggressive. She stuck to her guns despite the pressure being put on her and refused to comply.”
The story about Fergie’s loan emerged in 2011 while the Duke was facing increased scrutiny over his links to Epstein.
Epstein hanged himself on August 10 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.
The financier's alleged sex slave Virginia Roberts claims she had sex with the prince aged 17 - which he strongly denies.
Ms Roberts, 36, who now uses the surname Giuffre, had her claims against the royal thrown out by a judge who deemed them “immaterial” to her defamation case against "madam" Ghislaine Maxwell.
Prince Andrew released a statement condemning his former pal, while Buckingham Palace said the Duke of York would help authorities in any investigations.
MOST READ IN NEWS
“Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue,” a spokesman for Buckingham Palace said:
“It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts.
“Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.