Actress Natalie Dormer is refusing to promote the upcoming show “The Lady” after Sarah Ferguson’s 2011 email referring to Jeffrey Epstein as a “supreme friend” became public.
Dormer, who portrays Ferguson in the ITV and BritBox drama series, revealed she has also chosen to donate her salary to charities supporting children who have experienced abuse.
“When I agreed to take the role in ‘The Lady,’ I knew portraying the script’s Sarah Ferguson would require nuance. People are layered, their journeys are full of highs and lows, and as an actor, my job is to lean into those elements and bring them to life with honesty and empathy,” Dormer said in a statement to Variety.
“Since completing the project, new information has come to light that makes it impossible for me to reconcile my values with Sarah Ferguson’s behavior, which I believe is inexcusable. For that reason, I will not be taking part in the promotion of the project.”
She added, “In keeping with my commitment to the well-being of children, I have donated my entire salary from this project to the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) and the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (hosted by Barnardo’s).”
According to the Daily Mail, the Duchess of York – who divorced Prince Andrew in 1996 – reached out to Epstein in 2011 after publicly denouncing their friendship during an interview with the Evening Standard.
During the interview, Ferguson expressed her “deep regret” and promised to “have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again,” three years after he was imprisoned for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
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In an alleged email to Epstein following the interview, Ferguson referred to the disgraced financier as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend.”
“I know you feel hellaciously let down by me from what you were either told or read, and I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that,” Ferguson allegedly wrote.
“I was advised, in no uncertain terms, to have nothing to do with you and to not speak or email you and if I did I would cause more problems to you, [Prince Andrew] and myself,” she continued. “I was instructed to act with the utmost speed if I would have any chance of holding on to my career as a children’s book author and a children’s philanthropist.”
A representative for Ferguson claimed she had sent the email after Epstein had threatened to sue for defamation, according to the BBC. “This email was sent in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats,” the statement read.
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Ferguson was dropped as a patron from multiple charities after the 2011 email recently became public.
“Following the information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York’s correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, Julia’s House has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron of the charity,” a spokesperson for Julia’s House, a children’s hospice organization, said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Sept. 22. “We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support.”
The Teenage Cancer Trust and Natasha Allergy Research Foundation also dropped Ferguson, along with Prevent Breast Cancer and others.
Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
