Duchess of York could be stripped of her freedom of city after Epstein emails
City councillors in York may consider stripping Sarah Ferguson of her freedom of the city, it has been revealed.
The Duchess of York was given freedom of the city alongside her then husband Prince Andrew in 1987.
Andrew was stripped of his freedom in 2022 following revelations regarding the length of his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Now, councillors may also be considering stripping the Duchess of her freedom.
The Duchess has been stripped of several charity patronages after it was reported that she “humbly apologised” to Epstein for linking him to paedophilia in the media, describing him as “steadfast” and “generous”.
Leader of City of York Council, Councillor Claire Douglas said: “A Full Council meeting of all City of York councillors next takes place in November. Consideration will be given in advance of that meeting to whether a motion to remove the Honorary Freedom title from the Duchess of York is tabled. The Honorary Freedom title conferred on the Duke of York was removed in 2022.
“Removal of the Duchess of York title can only be made through an Act of Parliament and given the Duke of York title has not been removed from Prince Andrew, removal of the Duchess of York title seems similarly unlikely to happen.
“We deplore the links and continued associations with Jeffrey Epstein by those carrying the York title beyond the time the gravity of his crimes became clear”.