Publication claims that Natalie Dormer donates her ITV Sarah Ferguson paycheck to a sexual abuse charity.

Natalie Dormer Donates Salary from Sarah Ferguson Role

In the upcoming ITV drama The Lady, where she stars as Sarah Ferguson, Natalie Dormer is going to give away the entire salary she receives for this project to a charity that helps survivors of sexual abuse.
The announcement follows a backlash over the Duchess of York after it was uncovered that she had written an apologizing email to Jeffrey Epstein for publicly distancing herself from him after his conviction for sexually abusing children.
The 43-year-old Dormer referred to the Queen’s maneuvers as “inexcusable” and stated that, apart from giving her money away, she would not help with the publicity of the show.

Dormer Distances Herself from The Lady

The ITV drama The Lady deals primarily with the tragic downfall of Jane Andrews, ex-dresser of Sarah Ferguson, who was sent to jail in 2001 for killing her partner Tom Cressman. Andrews, a 57-year-old woman, physically assaulted the businessman at their Fulham house before she stabbed him in the chest with the fatal knife in 2000.
Envisioning her step back from the project, Natalie Dormer declared: “After finishing the work, new facts came up which made it impossible for me to identify my moral values with those of Sarah Ferguson, whom I consider totally wrong. Therefore, I am not going to be involved in the promotion of the project. As part of my pledge to the welfare of children…”

Dormer Donates Salary to Abuse Charities

In an interview with The Telegraph, Dormer stated: “I gave away my whole salary from this project to NAPAC – The National Association for People Abused in Childhood and to the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse.”
“At one time the daughter of a local fisherman’s family, Jane, in an unexpected move that left her friends and family dumbfounded, decided to apply for a job she had seen in The Lady magazine and ended up becoming the Duchess of York’s dresser at Buckingham Palace,” the series premise sums up.

The Story Behind The Lady

ITV’s summary of the program tells of Jane Andrews that she was a spin doctor for the Duchess of York and thus got the job to be the Duchess’s dresser in 1988, which helped her to jump from very humble origins to live among the upper class of Britain. But a departure from her position marked the end of her career and the breakdown of her nine years of service – a demotion she had deeply identified with.
Jane, however, shortly thereafter, encountered Thomas Cressman, a charming stockbroker, through a mutual friend, and the two soon became lovers. Yet, the romance was already beginning to show signs of decay, thus setting in motion a series of unfortunate and catastrophe events.

Charities Cut Ties with the Duchess of York

After it was revealed that the Duchess of York, Sarah, apologized to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in April 2011 following her public disavowal of him, several charitable organizations decided to break off their relations with her.
The Teenage Cancer Trust announced that she is no longer their patron, while on Monday a number of charities have also released statements saying that they will no longer associate with the Duchess of York. These are Julia’s House children’s hospice, Prevent Breast Cancer, The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, and the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals.

More Organizations Distance Themselves

The British Heart Foundation was the next to announce that Sarah was no longer an ambassador. The children’s hospice Julia’s House claimed that it “would not be appropriate for her to retain the position of a patron,” referring specifically to her communication with Epstein.
In the like manner, the directors of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation stated that they were “disquieted” by the interaction, and concurrently, Sarah gave up her position at the Youth Impact Council, a charity located in the U.S. which assists young people.”

The Apology Email

The news is that after a “frightening” call where the ex-financier is said to have threatened to “ruin” her family, Sarah sent an apology email to Jeffrey Epstein. In fact, the Duchess reportedly penned a letter in April 2011 to him — quoting Epstein as a ‘supreme friend’ — while she was denying him in public. James Henderson, her press officer at the time, told that the “really menacing and nasty” call from Epstein, who he compared to “Hannibal Lecter‑type voice,” was the reason why she sent the message.”

A “Chilling” Threat

James Henderson who was the spokesperson for Sarah, back then, described the incident to The Telegraph in such a vivid way that one could almost feel the terror: “The horror of Epstein is not known by people. That call I can remember with absolute precision. It was a scary call and from the way he spoke to me, I still can’t believe he was friends with anyone.”
He added, “He told me he would destroy the York family, and he was very explicit about that. He said he would break me into pieces. He wasn’t shouting. His voice was like that of Hannibal Lecter. It was very cold and calm and really menacing and nasty.”

Pressure to Protect Her Family

Henderson said: “The pressure on her to protect her family must have been immense. There must definitely have been law suits involved. And this was a long time before the Duke’s life was completely devastated by his connection to Epstein. It was 14 years ago and in those days everyone would do whatever necessary to protect their families. I am quite sure that she is a mother who puts family and children before everything else.”
It is believed that the threatening phone call was made shortly after the Duchess’s March 7, 2011, Evening Standard, interview, in which she apologized for the acceptance of £15,000 from Epstein.

Public Apology — Then a Private Message

In her March 2011 interview with the Evening Standard, Sarah decisively conveyed: “I hate paedophilia and any kind of sexual abuse of children and I am sure this was a massive misjudgment on my part. I am so sorry that I cannot even find the words. As far as I am able, I will give the money back and will never, ever, go with Jeffrey Epstein again.”
However, The Mail on Sunday reported that the Duchess sent a secret email to Epstein saying: “I understand how you feel terribly betrayed by me.” only a little over a month after that.”

The Duchess’s Email to Epstein

Sarah commented in the email: “I must also very humbly apologise to you and your lovely heart for that. You have been not only a true, kind and the best friend to me and my family but also a great support.”
She went on to say: “The instructions were very clear and I was told not to have any contact with you, to not speak with you or write you an email. In the event that I did, I would be the cause of a greater number of problems for you, the Duke and myself. I was very upset and confused. So please understand me. I didn’t want to hurt Andrew again. I was overwhelmed by fear. I apologise.”

Survivors’ Families Praise Charities’ Decisions

After the disclosures on Monday, the families of the survivors – some of them relatives of Virginia Giuffre – acknowledged the charities for their decision to end the relationship with Sarah, Duchess of York.
Note from the editor: Virginia Giuffre is living. In case you were referring to another person who is no longer with us, please let me know the name, and I will correct it.

Giuffre’s Family Speaks Out

In 2022, Virginia Giuffre brought a suit against Prince Andrew which she later resolved. She accused the prince of sexual assault when she was 17 years old after Jeffrey Epstein trafficked her. Andrew repudiated the allegations, denied any memory of the encounter.
In their statement, Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts and sister-in-law Amanda Roberts gave an applause to the charities that had distanced themselves from Sarah Ferguson: “It is a good thing for these seven charities to have ended their relationship with Sarah Ferguson considering her ties to Epstein. The step taken sends a powerful message not only about accountability but also about the need to confront those who supply the horrendous child trafficking network created by Epstein and Maxwell.”

A Call for Accountability

Virginia Giuffre’s family were not only focused on the charities’ refusal to work with Sarah Ferguson but went on to ask broader questions about the reaction: “… It prompts questions about how we respond in the U.S. Are we condemning enough those who are complicit in such crimes? These organisations have set an example for us; we should be taking real steps to protect the vulnerable and ensure that justice is upheld.”
Giuffre’s parents mentioned that she had been “neglected in a systematic manner by almost all the powerful institutions that were supposed to safeguard her,” and acknowledged the “strong reaction” from the charities in severing connections with Sarah Ferguson.”

“Stronger Public Condemnation” and Ongoing Scrutiny

Giuffre’s family said: “In the absence of governmental accountability, we are in dire need of stronger public condemnation, of not only the men but also the women who by their support of Epstein’s horrendous child sex trafficking gang in the US have helped to eliminate the true justice that we need, in order to begin investigating and solving the cases.”
In the year 2022, Prince Andrew gave a large amount of money to cover Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against him, in which she claimed that he had sexual contact with her at three different times — claims that he has definitely dismissed. Epstein was discovered dead in his New York City jail cell in August 2019 while he was about to be tried for sex-trafficking charges; hence, his death was labeled as a suicide.