Fergie, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Ex, Imperiled by Epstein Links

By Sarah Young and Paul Sandle

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - With the downfall of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor near complete, the former prince no longer has Sarah Ferguson by his side. For decades his ex-wife was his rock, but now her own ties to Jeffrey Epstein have destroyed her reputation too.

Ferguson, popularly known as "Fergie", married Prince Andrew in a glittering ceremony at Westminster Abbey in 1986. They went on to have two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

The pair split in 1992, divorced four years later, but remained close and were still sharing the same 30-room mansion until last year.

But revelations about their relationship with convicted U.S. sex offender Epstein, including in the January release of more than 3 million pages of documents by the U.S. government, have left both of them exposed and isolated with no hope of public rehabilitation.

According to the files, Ferguson appeared to have taken her daughters, then aged 20 and 19, to visit Epstein in the U.S. the week after he was released from prison in 2009 for soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution.

'THE BROTHER I ALWAYS WISHED FOR'

Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles, was arrested on Thursday by police investigating whether he committed a crime by leaking government documents to Epstein when he was a trade envoy.

He has not been charged with any offence, and was pictured looking haggard and haunted as he was driven away from a police station after being held all day. Mountbatten-Windsor denies wrongdoing and has said he regrets his friendship with Epstein.

Ferguson, meanwhile, has not been seen in public for months.

Timeline of Ties and Communications

Fergie and Epstein: Financial and Reputational Fallout

Emails show she had a close relationship with Epstein, sometimes seeking emotional support, and sometimes financial.

Epstein was the "brother I have always wished for", while she also told him "I am at your service. Just marry me", and suggested she could work organising his homes, according to emails from "Sarah".

Charity Links Severed

Several charities had already cut their links with her in September, after a previous tranche of files showed she kept up her friendship with him despite his conviction.

A spokesperson for her did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

MAKING HER OWN ARRANGEMENTS

Living Arrangements After Royal Sanctions

Ferguson had still been living at Andrew's Windsor home, Royal Lodge, until October last year, when the steady drip of Epstein revelations forced Charles to strip his brother of the title of prince and order him to move out.

A royal source said at the time that Ferguson would be making her own arrangements.

Hello! magazine reported she had spent time in the United Arab Emirates, and other reports said she could be with her daughters.

Both have apartments in London and spend time at their second homes - one in the Cotswolds area of southern England and the other in Portugal.

They both have jobs and support charitable causes.

"If I was to advise this to them, I would say keep the lowest of profiles, get on with your day job," a former senior royal aide told Reuters.

ROYAL OUTCAST

Prior to the latest revelations, Ferguson was slowly working to turn around her outsider status in the wider family.

Past Financial Controversies

Months after her separation from Andrew in 1992, a tabloid newspaper published photos of her, topless, having her toes sucked by her American financial advisor John Bryan.

That incident followed media reports about her spending habits. At the time of the couple's separation, the late Queen Elizabeth stated that it was up to Ferguson to pay her own debts.

In the years since, she wrote books, including a children's series called "Budgie the Little Helicopter" and an autobiography, and earned significant sums as a spokesperson for Weight Watchers.

2010 Cash-for-Access Scandal

But another scandal followed in 2010 when she was exposed by a tabloid for offering access to her former husband for 500,000 pounds. She apologised for a "serious lapse in judgement".

2011 Remarks on Epstein

In 2011, she also described her involvement with Epstein as a "gigantic error of judgement on my behalf", in an interview with the London Evening Standard.

Ongoing Denials and Clarifications

But in private, the relationship continued, with her even denying to Epstein she said "paedophilia" in the interview, according to the released documents.

"As you know, I did not, absolutely not, say the 'P word' about you but understand it was reported that I did," she told him, according to the emails.

"I know you feel hellaciously let down by me. You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family."

Spokesperson’s September Statement

Her spokesperson said last September she had made the comment to avoid being sued by Epstein.

(Reporting by Sarah Young and Paul Sandle; Editing by Alex Richardson)