Charity severs ties with Sarah Ferguson after she called Epstein a 'supreme friend'

Sarah, Duchess of York, has been dropped as patron of charity Julia’s House (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)

A charity has severed ties with Sarah Ferguson after it was disclosed she sent a message to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein describing him as a “supreme friend”.

A spokesman for Britain's Prince Andrew's wife previously said she apologised to Epstein in April 2011 for associating him with paedophilia in the media because he threatened to sue her.