TRANSCRIPT
The Duchess of York is facing a reputation crisis from hell. In the last 24 hours, multiple charities have severed links with her following revelations she continued to court the friendship of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein AFTER his convictions.
The case points to the former Royal as lacking in moral and ethical judgement over the relationship between the Duchess of York and her “supreme friend.”
This is how she described Epstein in a letter of apology he received from her after publicly severing ties with him where she stated he was “rightly jailed” and that she abhorred “paedophilia”. Epstein, it is noted, issued a lawsuit against the Duchess of York who he accused of labelling him a ‘paedophile.’
What is clear is that the message of support she sent to him was an attempt to sway him into dropping the lawsuit and to safeguard both her publishing career and her reputation.
There is no doubt that Sarah, Duchess of York’s patronage of multiple charities has positively advanced their work and benefitted thousands of people who need their help. As someone who lost his mother to breast cancer 36 years ago, I feel that her contribution towards raising funds for the Prevent Breast Cancer Academy cannot be understated. It absolutely deserves to be admired.
But we must not lose sight of reality here. Whereas the now-former US Ambassador Lord Mandelson – whose own reputation has also been tarnished by his association with Epstein - bemoaned being duped by Jeffrey Epstein’s charm, the Duchess of York was the one doing the duping.
It leads one to question whether her charitable involvement was ever about using her position of power and influence to draw attention to the causes she was associated with, or if it was solely motivated by a need for attention?
The Duchess of York’s ethics and values appear to be lacking. Some will feel sorry for her, especially those of my generation who remember her explosive personality that regularly featured on our TV screens and front pages during the 1980s. She was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise dull Royal family at that time.
But she is clearly a colossal people-pleaser. Can she recover from this? It is unlikely given the rapid and dramatic fall from grace.
I am usually upbeat in these matters and tend to believe that most personalities and other public figures can win back people’s trust and regain their reputation. However, given the severity of charges Epstein was found guilty of and the Duchess of York’s continued pursuit of a familial relationship with him despite knowing what this man was really like, has put paid to any possibility of a reputation reconciliation.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breakingbrand.substack.com
