Overview

• The Duchess of York's spokesman said Jeffrey Epstein threatened to sue her for defamation, and that an April 26, 2011 email was sent on advice to assuage those threats.
• In the message reported by The Sun, she apologized for disowning Epstein and called him a "steadfast, generous and supreme friend," saying she had been "bedridden with fear."
• Weeks earlier, on March 7, 2011, she told the Evening Standard she would never have anything to do with Epstein again and apologized for accepting £15,000 from him.
• UK tabloids have also reported a separate January 22, 2011 email in which she thanked Epstein in effusive terms and expressed affection.
• The disclosures are media-led releases that renew scrutiny of royal associates and do not reflect new legal findings; Epstein died in custody in 2019.