Sarah Ferguson faces vote to strip Freedom of the City of York honour. Photo / Getty Images
Sarah Ferguson faces vote to strip Freedom of the City of York honour. Photo / Getty Images
First, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of the Freedom of the City of York.
Now, his former wife faces the same fate.
York city councillors have proposed a motion to remove the honour, awarded to the couple as a wedding gift in 1987, from Sarah Ferguson.
It is the only itemon the agenda for an extraordinary council meeting on March 26.
The move was first mooted last October, after revelations concerning Ferguson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the paedophile and financier who died in 2019.
Claire Douglas, the council leader, said at the time: “We deplore the continued associations with Jeffrey Epstein by those carrying the York title.”
Guy Close, the council’s democratic services manager, said of next week’s meeting: “Members of the public will be given the opportunity to contribute. There may well be contributions from the leader of the council and political group leaders.
“The motion has been put forward by the leader of the council with five signatories. My understanding is there was cross-party support for it, so there was no difficulty in getting the numbers.”
He confirmed it was the first extraordinary meeting since Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his freedom of the city three years ago.
That decision was made two months after he agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the late Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually abusing her on three occasions when she was 17. Mountbatten-Windsor denies wrongdoing.
Darryl Smalley, the council’s executive member for culture, leisure and communities, said at the time: “We have previously debated at length our commitment as a council and a city to stand with victims of sexual abuse and work to end violence against women and girls.
“As such, we believe it is inappropriate for Andrew to retain his ambassadorial title that is so intrinsically linked to our great city.”
City of York Freedom was granted as a wedding gift to the couple in 1987. Photo / Getty Images
Several charities severed ties with Ferguson after her close links to Epstein were revealed in documents released in the US. It emerged that she had called Epstein her “supreme friend”, apologised for her public criticism of him and begged him for money.
Emails indicate that she asked for his financial advice on how to deal with her £6m debts while he was still in jail for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Julia’s House, a children’s hospice, was the first to remove her last year, saying it was “inappropriate” for her to continue in the role.
The Teenage Cancer Trust, Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, Children’s Literacy Charity, National Foundation for Retired Service Animals and Prevent Breast Cancer also announced they had dropped her as patron, while the British Heart Foundation said she would no longer be its ambassador.
Several companies linked to the former duchess are also being wound down, according to documents filed with Companies House.
Ferguson was the director of eight businesses set to be struck off the register: S Phoenix Events, Fergie’s Farm, Librasol Ltd, Philanthrepreneur Ltd, Loonasol Ltd, Solamoon Ltd, La Luna Investments and Planet Partners Productions Ltd.
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