Paedo Jeffrey Epstein's staggering claims about Fergie, Beatrice and Eugenie revealed
The previously unseen correspondence was allegedly sent by Jeffrey Epstein to his lawyer, and it sheds more light on Sarah's connections to the convicted sex offender
As the furore surrounding Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's connections with Jeffrey Epstein continues, their daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have inadvertently found themselves caught in the crossfire.
Explosive and previously unseen emails reportedly show that Epstein not only financially supported Sarah, but that she allegedly brought her children to visit the convicted sex offender after he left prison. Andrew vehemently denies all accusations against him.
When Epstein was released from jail in summer 2009, Beatrice and Eugenie would have been 20 and 19 years old, respectively. The email in question was allegedly sent by Epstein to his lawyer, Paul Tweed, in 2011 - one month after Sarah gave a March 2011 interview apologising for her ties to Epstein and claiming she would have "nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again".
According to the Daily Mail, Epstein told his lawyers in the now-leaked messages that Sarah "should affirmatively state that she was misquoted".
"[Sarah] took apartments in New York. She was the first to celebrate my release with her two daughters in tow. She visited me with [a] policeman sitting at my front desk. She has asked for help with her charities," he allegedly wrote in the emails.
A source close to Sarah has insisted that neither she nor her daughters had any recollection of such a visit.
While Sarah previously admitted to accepting money from Epstein, the publication claims that the newly surfaced emails show that she asked to borrow much more money.
The emails allegedly show that Fergie begged to borrow $50,000 (£37,240) to $100,000 (£78,475) from Epstein to help with "small bills" and that she asked to visit his private island in the Caribbean.
Last month, several charities severed ties with Sarah after a 2011 email from her to Epstein surfaced. In it, she praised the financier as "a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family" - weeks after her interview where she publicly cut ties.
She allegedly wrote in the email: "You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family. I am apologising to you today for not replying to your email or reaching out to you.
"I was bedridden with fear. I was paralyzed. I was advised in no uncertain terms to have nothing to do with you and to not speak or email you. And if I did - I would cause more problems to you, the Duke and myself. I was broken and lost. So please understand. I didn't want to hurt Andrew one more time. I was in overriding fear. I am sorry."
Sarah's spokesperson insisted that she only sent the fawning email because Epstein had vowed to "destroy her" in a "Hannibal Lecter-style" phone call.
James Henderson, Fergie's adviser, told the Telegraph that Epstein was so enraged by her description of him as a paedophile that he made a threatening phone call in which he vowed to take legal action.
"People don't understand how terrible Epstein was. I can remember everything about that call," he said. "It was a chilling call and I'm surprised anybody was ever friends with him given the way he talked to me.
"He said he would destroy the York family and he was quite clear on that. He said he would destroy me. He wasn't shouting. He had a Hannibal Lecter-type voice. It was very cold and calm and really menacing and nasty."
He further told the publication that he understood why Sarah had subsequently sent her email, given the menace of his threat to ruin her life and that of her family - including her daughters.
"The pressure she was put under to protect her family must have been huge. I am sure there were legal actions," he said. "And this was long before the Duke's life had been ruined by his association with Epstein. It was 14 years ago and everyone will do what they have to do to protect their family. Her family and children will always come first for her."
On Friday, Andrew announced that he would give up the use of his royal titles and honours, saying in a statement: "In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.
"I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.
"With His Majesty's agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me," he continued. "As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me."
It also means that Sarah is no longer the Duchess of York - a title she has used for almost 40 years.