Sarah Ferguson stripped of 'freedom of York' by councillors over ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Sarah Ferguson has been stripped of the freedom of the city of York by councillors.

The former Duchess of York, and ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, had the honour removed following a unanimous council vote on Thursday evening.

She has faced mounting scrutiny and criticism over her friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a New York prison in 2019.

Ms Ferguson is mentioned several times in the Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice. Being named in the files does not suggest wrongdoing.

The "freedom of the city" honour is a ceremonial role, awarded to notable figures. It does not grant any "privileges" in the city, according to York council's website.

Andrew was stripped of the same honour in 2022. The couple were jointly awarded the status in 1987 following their wedding.

In October, Ferguson lost her Duchess of York title when her ex-husband also had his royal title removed, although at the time she had only been using her first and last name in a professional capacity.

Liberal Democrat Darryl Smalley, who proposed the motion to strip Andrew of the honour in 2022, told Thursday's meeting that previously he had not wanted to do the same to Ms Ferguson.

He said: "At the time, it felt wrong to judge someone by the actions of their ex-husband.

"[But] 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.

"We don't expect the recipients of York's highest honour to be saints. We simply do not want them to be best friends of convicted paedophiles."

Read more from Sky News
UK facing biggest economic hit from Iran war
Transgender women banned from Olympics
Gang-rape victim, 25, to be euthanised

The council's Labour leader Claire Douglas added: "Honorary freedom is bestowed only on persons of distinction and those having given eminent services to the city of York.

"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 Epstein after his crimes became widely known fall well short of these expectations."

Last month, it was revealed that six firms linked to Ms Ferguson were being wound down following the release of some of the Epstein files.

Her charity, Sarah's Trust, also announced it would close "for the foreseeable future".

Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution, including with a minor, in 2008.

But messages released as part of the Epstein files suggest that Ms Ferguson continued to stay in contact with him.

Correspondence suggests that Ms Ferguson and her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, flew to Miami to visit him less than a week after he was released from prison in July 2009, with the email exchange implying he paid for the plane tickets.

In an email from August 2009, Ms Ferguson also thanked Epstein for being "the brother I have always wished for" and told him she had "never been more touched by a friend's kindness than your compliment to me in front of my girls".

In another, she called him "my dear spectacular and special friend", before adding "you are a legend, and I am so proud of you".

In a 2011 interview, Ms Ferguson said: "I would never have anything to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again. I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children. It was a gigantic error of judgement."

Sky News has approached Ms Ferguson and her representatives for comment.

(c) Sky News 2026: Sarah Ferguson stripped of 'freedom of York' by councillors over ties to Jeffrey Epstein