Sarah Ferguson emailed Epstein while he was in prison for child sex offence, documents suggest

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Sarah Ferguson was in contact with Jeffrey Epstein while he was in prison for soliciting sex from a minor, according to documents in the latest release by the US Department of Justice.

The emails revolve around her business, Mothers Army, where she asks the paedophile financier for advice on how to get it off the ground.

The BBC has contacted Ferguson for comment. Being named among the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing.

Epstein was released from prison on 22 July 2009 after serving 13 months of an 18-month sentence. An email dated 14 June 2009 from a “Sarah” says: “I need to ask you how I start The Mothers Army company so it can be commercial, how do I do that? Can you help me?”

Then on the 26 June 2009, “Sarah” writes to Epstein saying: “I am alive… yes I did go to the first lady and she loved the Mothers Army. I am going to call you later Love you”.

Mothers Army, a company which was set up “to help amplify the voices of Mothers all over the world”, is listed under Sarah Margaret Ferguson with a registered address to Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park, in Companies House.

But in an email to a “Ferg” in 2011, Epstein writes: “of course you can have mothers army, it was always for you„ Im not sure how to transfer it, but rest assured , it is your in its entirety, I will ask how the transfer is accomplished, we just want to be careful that there is no downside at the moment to have a transaction between you and I.”

The documents indicate that Ferguson had a close relationship with Epstein, even planning to meet him at his home five days after he was released from prison.

BBC News has followed an email thread between a “Sarah”, Epstein and his assistants.

An exchange between Epstein and one of his assistants, whose name and email have been redacted, talk about arranging flights for “Sarah Ferguson” and two assistants, adding “she wants to fly from London to Miami on Sunday, come to see you Monday, then fly to NYC, and back to London from there”.

The next day 24 July 2009, another email exchange between Epstein and his personal assistant, Lesley Groff, states she had been in contact with “The Duchess’ assistant” and Groff goes on to confirm she bought British Airways flights, totalling “for all tickets: $14,080.10”. Epstein wrote he approved the purchase.

Another email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and a “Sarah” suggests a lunch meeting happened at his Palm Beach home on 27 July 2009.

The emails detail the arrangements being made, including “Sarah” asking: “What address shall we come to. It will be myself, Beatrice and Eugenie”. Epstein gave her the address as 358 El Brillo.

At the time of the visit, Princess Eugenie was 19 and Princess Beatrice was 21.

During the exchange Epstein asks whether “Sarah” needs a lift, but the response is “No thank you. I made Philip give us his car and a back up one for the policeman”.

Epstein also offers them food, suggesting a menu of “vegetable lasagna„ or anything else you would like, chef here from Paris”.

“Cannot wait to see you”, is the response.

After his prison sentence, the disgraced financier was under house arrest for his child sex abuse convictions. The house arrest sentence ended in the summer of 2010.

Emails suggest there were three other meetings between the pair in 2009.

The former Duchess of York’s continued contact with Epstein after his conviction led to a series of charities to drop their connections with her last year.

On Monday evening, Ferguson’s charity, Sarah’s Trust, announced it would close “for the foreseeable future”.

The latest release of files related to the late Epstein included pictures of Ferguson’s ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over a female lying on the floor, while there have been other embarrassing revelations for the family.

In one email Ferguson congratulates Epstein on the arrival of a “baby boy”, before following up by accusing him of only befriending her “to get to Andrew”.

Another email to Epstein, sent from a redacted address, appears to refer to Eugenie’s love life – saying she is returning from a “shagging weekend”,

Mountbatten-Windsor has always consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing and his office has been contacted for comment. Ferguson’s representatives have also been approached.