Councillors Revoke Sarah Ferguson’s ‘Freedom of York’ Honor

Councillors at City of York Council voted unanimously to revoke Sarah Ferguson’s Freedom of York honour. The motion passed at a meeting held at the Guildhall on Thursday evening. The decision followed fresh material appearing in the US Department of Justice’s Epstein files.

Council decision and local reaction

The council described the freedom of the city as a ceremonial honour. It does not carry legal privileges, the authority said.

Liberal Democrat councillor Darryl Smalley spoke during the meeting. He said new documents showed Ferguson maintained a close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction.

Labour leader Claire Douglas said the honour is reserved for people who uphold the city’s values. She added that those who continued to associate with Epstein fell short of those expectations.

Background: the Epstein files

The Department of Justice released millions of documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution, including with a minor.

He died in a New York jail in 2019. Being named in the files does not itself prove wrongdoing.

Correspondence and meetings

Emails included messages from 2009 in which Ferguson used affectionate terms for Epstein. One message thanked him as “the brother I have always wished for.”

Records suggest Ferguson and her daughters flew to Miami less than a week after Epstein’s July 2009 release. An exchange of emails implied he paid for those plane tickets.

In later correspondence she called him “my dear spectacular and special friend.”

Personal and professional consequences

Ferguson had shared the Freedom of York status with her former husband. The couple were jointly awarded it in 1987.

Her ex-husband had the same honour removed in 2022. In October, Ferguson ceased using the Duchess of York title professionally after royal changes.

Following the release of documents, six firms tied to Ferguson began being wound down. Her charity, Sarah’s Trust, said it would close for the foreseeable future.

Responses and next steps

Ferguson previously said in a 2011 interview she would never associate with Epstein again. She described earlier contact as a “gigantic error of judgement.”

Filmogaz.com has asked Ferguson and her representatives for comment. The council’s unanimous vote concludes its review of the city honour.