Jeffrey Epstein plotted to 'blackmail' Sarah Ferguson after she said she 'abhorred paedophilia' when asked about her relationship with him

Jeffrey Epstein was preparing to blackmail Sarah Ferguson after she tried to distance herself from the paedophile financier in an interview, private emails have revealed.The former Duchess of York told the Evening Standard in March 2011 of her 'deep regret' over her ties with Epstein and apologised for accepting £15,000 from him.Sarah had said: 'I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children.' She also accepted making a 'terrible, terrible error of judgement', adding: 'Whenever I can, I will repay the money and have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.'But emails published by the US Department of Justice as part of the Epstein Files, showed he compiled a dossier of messages about his close relationship with Sarah.The exchanges released in January - now uncovered seven months later by an i Paper investigation - were sent to Epstein's lawyers and a public relations expert.They included one that saw Sarah try to arrange a visit to Epstein at his home in Palm Beach with her daughters Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, then aged 19 and 20.This came after Epstein was released from prison in Florida in July 2009, having served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor.Conversations in the emails suggest Sarah's meeting with Epstein was used to try to push her into a public climbdown, given the visit would be incriminating for her.Sarah Ferguson and Andrew at the Duchess of Kent's funeral in Westminster last September Emails showed Sarah tried to arrange a visit to Jeffrey Epstein at his home in Palm Beach with her daughters Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, then aged 19 and 20 (pictured in March 2009) Paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein was released from prison in Florida in July 2009, having served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor A legal letter sent to Sarah's lawyer in April 2011 following the Standard interview called on the former wife of then-Prince Andrew to 'reconsider her current stance'. Epstein's team said a failure to do so would make them 'undermine the credibility of those comments by pointing out that your client and her daughters were among the first to enjoy my client's hospitality upon his release from prison and continued to do so until very recently.'The note added: 'As I have emphasised to you, my client [Epstein] has absolutely no desire to cause any unnecessary embarrassment to either your client or her former husband, but her unwarranted (or misquoted) comments have placed him in an extremely difficult position, and have to be corrected.'Sarah's representative then declared this note a threat, saying: 'The tenor of this email is somewhat alarming and could be construed as attempted blackmail.'Other emails between Epstein and his advisers show how they tried to 'turn up the heat' on Sarah by collating messages which would make her look bad.Aside from the Palm Beach visit, other messages showed Sarah apparently asking Epstein for help, such as a request to employ her and describing him as 'my pillar'.Epstein also alleged that Sarah used his Florida home to host one of her lovers and a wealthy businessman with whom she was trying to secure a deal. Emails show a legal letter sent to Sarah's lawyer in April 2011 following her Evening Standard interview which called on her to 'reconsider her current stance'. But Sarah's representative said this was 'somewhat alarming and could be construed as attempted blackmail'Previously, other documents showed Epstein wanted Sarah to release a statement saying he was 'not a pedo' and she had been 'duped' into believing false allegations about him. The emails also revealed that:In March 2011, Epstein asked his publicist to 'draft a statement that in an ideal world Fergie would put out' days after Sarah told the Standard she had 'deep regret' over her ties with Epstein.The following month, Sarah emailed Epstein saying she 'did not' and 'would not' call him a 'P' and that she had acted to 'protect my own brand'.Epstein told others 'Fergie said she could organise tea in Buckingham Palace apts.. or Windsor Castle' in 2009.After he was released from prison, Epstein asked 'Sarah' if there was 'any chance of your daughters saying hello' to an unnamed person whilst they were in London in July 2010. Sarah replied saying: 'Beatrice is in London with her father. Eugie is away with a cool boyfriend.'In August 2009, Sarah thanked Epstein for 'being the brother I have always wished for' and she has 'never been more touched by a friends kindness'.In April 2009, Sarah emailed Epstein calling him 'my dear spectacular and special friend Jeffrey' and a 'legend,' adding that she is 'so proud' of him.The exchanges were all dated after Epstein was convicted in 2008.Less than two months after the Standard interview with then-editor Geordie Greig, Sarah emailed Epstein saying she 'did not' and 'would not' call him a 'P' and that she had acted to 'protect my own brand'.In an email, dated April 25, 2011 with the subject line 'Geordie Greig, and transcript', Sarah added: 'Although I had to protect my own brand in the statement I did with Geordie, which is all in children's work, I certainly would not want to hurt Jeffrey anymore, by saying such an untruth.' Emails showed Epstein compiled a dossier of messages about his close relationship with SarahSarah was also discovered to have written to Epstein after his conviction calling him a 'supreme friend', despite publicly disowning him in the media.The Mail on Sunday revealed further emails last October that claimed Epstein secretly bankrolled Sarah for 15 years.He was found to have complained to friends about Sarah in messages that suggested his financial support went far beyond the £15,000 she admitted taking from him.Sarah's spokesman previously said she had spoken of her regret about her association with Epstein and 'does not resile' from condemning him publicly.He added that Epstein had threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with paedophilia.Andrew has faced allegations, which he strenuously denies, that he sexually assaulted a teenage Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by Epstein.He paid millions to Ms Giuffre, a woman he has claimed never to have met, to settle a civil sexual assault claim in 2022. Ms Giuffre died in April last year.Andrew stepped down from royal duties in 2019 after an interview on BBC Newsnight but the publication of Ms Giuffre's posthumous memoir.The US government's release of documents from Epstein's estate brought more scrutiny over his relationship with the financier, and led to the King officially stripping his disgraced brother of both his HRH style and his prince title.The loss of Andrew's titles meant Sarah reverted back to her maiden name of Sarah Ferguson.Earlier this year Andrew left his Windsor home after a public outcry about his 'peppercorn rent' and moved to the Sandringham estate, and he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office before being released.A spokesman for Sarah declined to comment to the Daily Mail today on the latest emails.