Jeffrey Epstein allegedly proposed putting Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie into shares of a business venture to ease Sarah Ferguson's financial woes, according to newly released emails from the US Department of Justice Epstein files.
Ferguson, the Duchess of York, had approached Epstein in 2010 amid debts of around £650,000 from the collapse of her US lifestyle brand Hartmoor, asking to 'borrow 50 or 100,000 US dollars' to cover bills.
Epstein, fresh from jail time for soliciting prostitution from a minor, declined direct aid but steered her toward a business fix involving supplements entrepreneur Keith Frankel.
The idea surfaced in an early morning email from Epstein on 8 March 2010, after a meeting with Frankel. 'Keith just left. We should talk, he was concerned that you had the rights to use your name. He was concerned that someone said you did not want equity, ( the [Beatrice] and [Eugenie] should own the shares ),' Epstein wrote to Ferguson.
The plan, as outlined in the emails, was for Ferguson to lend her name to sell health products, including fish oil supplements, possibly through QVC. Frankel reportedly worried about her rights to her name and whether she wanted equity herself, leading Epstein to float the princesses as shareholders.
Beatrice was 21 and Eugenie 19 at the time, and there is no indication they knew of the proposal or that shares were ever issued. Ferguson's financial straits were acute, with Epstein replying to her loan request, 'i cannot do anything until July at earliest, dictated by current restrictions'.
When she asked him to approach Giuseppe on her behalf, Epstein demurred. 'i could but it would be impolite, you need to address these issues, you are great,' he wrote. Giuseppe is identified as New York restaurateur Giuseppe Cipriani, a long‑time friend of Ferguson's.
In January 2010, she emailed Epstein, 'You are a legend. I really don't have the words to describe, my love, gratitude for your generosity and kindness. Xx I am at your service. Just marry me.'
Earlier, in 2009 while Epstein was still jailed, other exchanges reported show Ferguson offering Epstein private tours of Buckingham Palace. She offered to 'organise anything' for a VIP tour of London for the daughter of his lawyer Alan Dershowitz, hinting at access to Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. Epstein later told associates Ferguson could arrange tea there.
In 2011, after publicly regretting their association, she emailed to say she 'did not' and 'would not' call him a paedophile, claiming it was to 'protect my own brand'.
Source: International Business Times UK
