Sarah Ferguson stripped of Freedom of City of York title
· Toronto Sun
Sarah Ferguson’s ties to the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have cost her another title.
The former Duchess of York has been stripped of her honorary Freedom of City of York title, the highest ceremonial honour given by City of York Council to recognize distinguished individuals, residents, or royalty for their services to the city.
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The council removed Ferguson’s title on Thursday after a unanimous vote.
Council leader Claire Douglas said the city expected those who received the title would uphold “the values and behaviours consistent with such honour.”
“Those who continued to associate with Epstein after his crimes became widely known fall well short of these expectations,” Douglas added.
What is the Freedom of York?
York is a city located in northeast England. It’s known for its cathedral and has thousands of “Freeman,” a title that dates back to the 13th century. Those with the title once had privileges such as the right to graze cattle, but now it’s mostly ceremonial.
The title is given to people who have brought distinction to York or have served the community. Past recipients include Sir Winston Churchill and Dame Judi Dench, BBC reported.
Ferguson was bestowed the Freedom of City of York title in 1987, a year after she married the then-Prince Andrew, who also received the distinction.
Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of the title in 2022 due to his ties to Epstein. In October 2025, he was also stripped of all his royal titles, including the Duke of York moniker.
Ferguson also lost her Duchess of York title. Despite their 1996 divorce, she had lived with her ex-husband on the royal Windsor estate until recently.
Ferguson to testify in U.S.?
In February, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office after his name was found in the batch of Epstein files the U.S. Justice Department released in late January.
Ferguson was also named in the investigation documents, which detailed email exchanges between her and Epstein even after his 2008 sex trafficking conviction.
Conversation between Ferguson and Epstein include setting up a lunch date with him, herself and her daughters, asking for bankruptcy advice and begging for a house assistant job.
On Thursday, U.S. Democratic Congressman Suhas Subramanyam wrote to Ferguson, asking her to testify in front of American lawmakers about her “social and business ties” to Epstein, BBC reported, noting there is no legal mechanism to compel Fergie to do so.
Ferguson has kept a low profile since she and her ex-husband were mentioned in the latest Epstein files release. She was last seen in public in December at the christening of her granddaughter, Athena.
— With files from AFP