A woman who was once one of Sarah Ferguson's most prominent supporters has declared that the former Duchess must never be allowed back into public life because of her disturbing links to Jeffrey Epstein. Tonia Sargerson, 64, met Ferguson under unusual circumstances and formed a close friendship that lasted nearly two decades, only to sever all ties when she learned the extent of Ferguson's dealings with the paedophile financier.
Unlikely Friendship
The friendship began 18 years ago when Ferguson filmed the documentary The Duchess In Hull. She spent several days with Tonia and her family at their home on the rundown Preston Road estate in Hull, East Yorkshire. Remarkably, the two women forged a lasting bond and remained in regular contact until Tonia read the explosive revelations from the Epstein Files made public in December, which prompted Ferguson to go into hiding.
According to a source close to Tonia, she is 'horrified and appalled' after learning of Ferguson's extensive contact with Epstein, which was ongoing during the filming of the documentary. Tonia believes there should be no rehabilitation for Ferguson, despite recent reports that she hopes to set up talks with King Charles because she feels 'abandoned' by the Royal Family.
Betrayal and Disgust
The source said: 'Tonia doesn't believe there should be a way back into public life for Sarah Ferguson. She betrayed the Royal Family, just as she betrayed everyone around her with her ongoing friendship with a known and convicted paedophile.' Tonia has told friends she would never have had Ferguson in her home if she had any idea of her close links with a paedophile.
The documentary was shot in 2008, the same year Epstein pleaded guilty and was sentenced by a Florida state court for procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Despite full knowledge of the investigation and his conviction, Ferguson remained in close personal contact with Epstein.
When the emails from the Epstein files were released, it became clear that Ferguson had a close relationship with Epstein despite everything he had done. Tonia was horrified that someone she considered a friend would continue a friendship with someone capable of such crimes. It made her feel sick that Ferguson was in her house, around her young children, while being involved with a notorious paedophile.
A Friendship That Spanned Years
Despite the gulf in social standing, Ferguson continued to send birthday cards to Tonia each year, and they maintained a friendship that few could have predicted after the cameras stopped rolling. The ITV programme was supposed to show the then Duchess, an ambassador for Weight Watchers, promoting a healthier lifestyle for Tonia, her husband Mick, and their five children aged seven to 24. Ferguson focused on improving the family's diet on a strict weekly budget of £80 and visited a local school to promote her 'Shape Up' campaign.
Critics panned her 'preachy' attitude and said the programme was condescending to families struggling on low incomes. At the end of the documentary, the family felt Ferguson 'couldn't wait to get away from them'. However, to everyone's surprise, Ferguson continued to stay in touch, sending cards and gifts for the family.
Reunion and Reassessment
The two women were reunited in 2013 when Ferguson said: 'Tonia will probably be a better friend to me than many of my friends in other walks of life because of her integrity and values. Tonia and I always agreed it didn't matter where we were in life – we shared mothering and friendship, which come from a place of complete equality. I might have been lucky enough to marry a prince and I might not live on a council estate in Hull and have five kids, but it doesn't mean we can't have the same values.'
However, the Sargerson family no longer believes they share any of Ferguson's values and feel betrayed that she was allowed to spend so much time in their home. The source said: 'It has upset Tonia to think that her children were one degree of separation from Epstein.'
Some of the emails between Epstein and Ferguson date from when he was still serving his sentence for soliciting sex from a minor, according to the documents released from the files. He was released from prison on July 22, 2009, after serving 13 months of his 18-month sentence. There are emails in the files from that June and earlier in July from 'Sarah'. An email from August the following year reads: 'I am feeling very traumatised and alone. I am wanting to work for you at organising your houses.'
The next month she appeared to ask 'when are you going to employ me', and the same day 'phew.. you still love me'. In another exchange in 2009, she joked with Epstein about another woman: 'You can marry her too. She is single and a great body.' Referring to her former husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Ferguson wrote later in 2010: 'So you have not forgotten about me. I do know that my handsome Prince is a saint.. And you worship him, I do too. But then I did marry him. And still love him.'
Tonia, who still lives on the estate, declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail.
