Sarah Ferguson stripped of Freedom of City of York title

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Noor NanjiRoyal correspondent

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Sarah Ferguson has had her honorary Freedom of the City of York stripped, in a further fall from grace for the former Duchess of York.

The city’s councillors voted unanimously to remove the honour from Ferguson, which she was given in 1987 after her marriage to the then-Prince Andrew, at an extraordinary meeting on Thursday evening.

The move follows mounting scrutiny over Ferguson’s friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following the release of millions of documents by the US Department of Justice earlier this year.

Being named among the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing. The BBC has approached Ferguson’s representatives for comment.

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Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were awarded the honorary Freedom on a visit to York, a year after their marriage.

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his honour in 2022.

Last year, King Charles removed his younger brother’s remaining titles and honours, including his prince title, following growing pressure over his links with Epstein.

During the meeting on Thursday, councillors debated a motion proposing to revoke the honour from Ferguson before voting in favour of it.

The City of York council’s Labour leader Claire Douglas said: "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.

“City of York councillors considered these issues this evening and agreed that removing the honour from Sarah Ferguson was appropriate. This was the right decision to take to maintain the integrity and standing of this important York honour.”

The accolade has previously been bestowed upon politicians and celebrities including Sir Winston Churchill and Dame Judi Dench.

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Sarah Ferguson and the former Prince Andrew were awarded the Freedom of City of York in 1987, a year after their marriage

The motion to remove Mountbatten-Windsor’s honorary Freedom three years ago was carried unanimously at a full council meeting.

That motion had been put forward by Liberal Democrat councillor Darryl Smalley who said at the time: "Having been stripped of his military roles and royal patronages by the Queen, we believe that it is right to remove all links that Prince Andrew still has with our great city.

“I was pleased to see councillors of all parties support this motion and make it clear that it is no longer appropriate for Prince Andrew to represent York and its residents.”

A number of charities have already severed their links with Ferguson after an email from 2011 revealed she called Epstein her “supreme friend” and seemed to apologise for her public criticism of him.

• Pressure mounts on Sarah Ferguson to give evidence on Epstein
• Sarah Ferguson emails to Epstein show increasing desperation
• Why Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice and Eugenie can’t escape the taint of family scandal

In October, she lost her duchess title when her ex-husband relinquished his Duke of York title over his links with Epstein.

New details emerged about Ferguson’s friendship with Epstein in the huge dump of files this year.

The emails suggest she contacted him while he was in prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor - and that she took her daughters along for lunch with him in Miami, days after his release from prison.

Last weekend, the BBC revealed there were mounting calls for Ferguson to give evidence concerning her links to Epstein.

US lawmakers have repeatedly - and unsuccessfully - called for her former husband to answer questions about his links to the late American financier and sex offender. Now Ferguson is being urged to do the same.

There is no legal mechanism to compel Ferguson to testify in the US.

When asked for a response on the calls from US politicians, Ferguson’s representatives declined to comment.

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What Prince Andrew’s titles loss means for Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice and Eugenie

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

UK Royal Family

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York

York