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On March 26, 2026, Sarah Ferguson was officially stripped of the Freedom of the City of York due to her connections with Jeffrey Epstein. The city’s council made this unanimous decision during a Thursday evening session at the Guildhall, driven by concerns regarding her ties to the notorious Epstein, who passed away at 66.
This honorary distinction was initially granted to Sarah in 1987, coinciding with her marriage to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, now 66. However, council members argued that her involvement with Epstein cast doubt on her adherence to the high standards expected from those awarded this honor.
Sarah Ferguson has been stripped of the Freedom of the City of York after councillors voted unanimously to remove the honour over her association with Jeffrey Epstein
Under the provisions of Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, the council’s motion successfully revoked her honorary status.
The honorary title had been awarded to Sarah in 1987 following her marriage to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, but councillors said the association raised questions about whether she met the standards expected of recipients.
Their motion, passed under Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, formally withdrew the status.
The move follows earlier action in 2022 when Andrew was also stripped of the honour.
It comes after the emergence of a 2011 email in which Sarah described Epstein as “a steadfast, generous and supreme friend”, sent after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Councillor Darryl Smalley said during the meeting: “We now know, following the release of thousands of documents, that Sarah Ferguson too had a close friendship with Epstein, which continued well beyond his conviction.”
He added: “We don’t expect recipients of York’s highest honour to be saints. We simply do not want them to be best friends of convicted paedophiles.” He said: “We stand with victims. We stand for the rule of the rule of law. We stand for decency.”
Gwen Swinburn, addressing councillors as a member of the public, said: “The decision before you tonight is whether to remove the freedom of the city from Ms Ferguson.
“It should not be a difficult one. It is the absolute minimum you should be doing.”
Councillor Claire Douglas said: “As the people of York would expect, holding this status requires upholding the values and behaviours consistent with such an honour.
“Those who continued to associate with Jeffrey Epstein after his crimes became widely known fall well short of these expectations.
“Sarah Ferguson falls into this category as the Epstein files have shown. I therefore call on council to support the motion as presented.”
The council has previously stated that the honorary freedom is granted to individuals who have provided exceptional service or are considered distinguished public figures.
Following the release of the Epstein files, records from Companies House showed six companies linked to Sarah began winding down operations, while her charity, Sarah’s Trust, announced it would close “for the foreseeable future”.
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