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Two newspapers have published an email allegedly sent to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein by the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, calling him a "supreme friend" despite his conviction for sex crimes.
The Sun and Mail on Sunday newspapers reported that the 2011 email was sent weeks after the duchess had publicly distanced herself from Epstein.
A spokesman for the Duchess, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, said the email was to counter a threat Epstein had made to sue her for defamation.
In a 2011 interview, the duchess said her involvement with Epstein had been a "giant error of judgment."
At the time, the duchess also vowed to never have anything to do with Epstein again, saying: "I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children."
She added that "I can no longer say with any force that I know there was a terrible error of judgment made, having to do with Jeffrey Epstein. What he did was wrong and for which he was rightly imprisoned."
Epstein was imprisoned three years ago for soliciting prostitution.
But The Sun and Mail on Sunday newspapers said that shortly after giving the interview in 2011, the duchess sent an email to Epstein to say she had not used the word "paedophile" in relation to him.
"As you know, I absolutely did not say the 'P' word to you, but you know it has been reported that I did," she wrote.
"I know you feel terribly disappointed in me. You have always been a steadfast, generous and extraordinary friend to me and my family," the email published by British media reads.
A spokesman for the Duchess said the email was sent after Epstein threatened to sue her for defamation - in an attempt to persuade her not to do so.
"The Duchess spoke of her regret for her association with Epstein many years ago, and as always, her first thoughts are with his victims," they said.
"Like many people, she was fooled by his lies. Once she realized the extent of the allegations against him, she not only cut off contact but publicly condemned him, to the point where he threatened to sue her for defamation over his connection to pedophilia."
Epstein, a well-connected financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead by suicide in 2019 while awaiting a sex trafficking trial in New York.
Known for his association with the rich and famous, as well as past and present presidents, he was accused of trafficking a number of women and young girls for sexual exploitation.
Allegations that the duchess's ex-husband, Prince Andrew, sexually abused a woman he was introduced to by Epstein, which were settled out of court without an admission of liability, led to the royal's withdrawal from his public duties and the removal of his military affiliations and charitable patronages.
More recently, revelations about Epstein's post-conviction relationship with Lord Mandelson hastened the latter's dismissal from the post of UK ambassador to the US.
The latest wave of new information about Epstein's life and friendships comes after a US Congressional panel released a trove of documents belonging to him that were found by investigators.
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