City of York Council will meet on March 26 to discuss whether to revoke Sarah Ferguson’s honorary freedom of the city in the wake of her links to Jeffrey Epstein
Sarah Ferguson faces losing her freedom of the City of York following an upcoming council debate.
She became Duchess of York upon marrying Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in 1986, with the then-couple receiving the honour as a wedding gift from York the following year.
City of York Council has arranged a meeting on the evening of 26 March with the sole purpose of discussing whether to strip her of the honour.
Councillors stripped Andrew of his freedom of the City of York in 2022, with the meeting at the time hearing he was the first person ever to have it withdrawn.
The only motion at next week’s extraordinary council meeting states: “The Council resolves that, pursuant to Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, the City of York Council withdraws the Honorary Freeman of the City status from Sarah Ferguson, which was conferred upon her in 1987.”
Residents, interested parties and councillors have been invited to attend the discussion at The Guildhall in York.
This follows six companies linked to the former duchess beginning to wind down following publication of the Epstein files, according to Companies House documents.
It confirmed an application to strike off each company was submitted after fresh revelations about her contact with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein emerged.
Sarah’s Trust, a charity she had established, also announced it would close “for the foreseeable future”. The honorary freedom of the city is awarded to acknowledge significant contributions by local residents, distinguished individuals, and royalty, as previously stated by the council.
Other esteemed recipients of this honour include the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill, film composer John Barry, and actress Dame Judi Dench.
