Natalie Dormer not promoting her latest TV project following new revelations about Sarah Ferguson’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein has reportedly “left insiders baffled”. The Game of Thrones actress, who will play Sarah Ferguson in the upcoming series The Lady, is also planning to donate her fee from the show to a charity focused on child abuse. It comes after an email Ferguson sent in 2011 resurfaced, which was addressed to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, calling him her “supreme friend.” Following claims that the Duchess emailed Epstein, her spokesperson has since said she was “taken in by his lies” and sent the email only to avoid the threat of defamation. The email is believed to have been sent after she had publicly claimed to have broken off communication with him.
According to MailOnline, a source said: “Nobody can really understand why Natalie Dormer decided to do this as everyone knew about Fergie and her links to Epstein already. The situation was plain when she took the role – you’d only have to spend 30 seconds on Google. But there you go.”
MailOnline has also confirmed that the ITV series will not be shelved, and it is still planned to air on our television screens later this year. Express Online has contacted Natalie’s representatives for comment.
Natalie Dormer, 43, previously spoke out in a statement after Ferguson’s email became public. She stated: “Since completing the project, new information has come to light that makes it impossible for me to reconcile my values with Sarah Ferguson’s behaviour, which I believe is inexcusable. For that reason, I will not be taking part in the promotion of the project.
“In keeping with my commitment to the well-being of children, I have donated my entire salary from this project to the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) and the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse.”
The series focuses on Jane Andrews, Sarah’s one-time dresser, who was jailed for murdering her boyfriend, Thomas Cressman, in 2001. Jane will be played by BAFTA winner Mia McKenna-Bruce.
The upcoming four-part British television drama is part fictionalised but based on true events. Ed Speerers will portray Thomas Cressman, Jane’s boyfriend.
According to the official synopsis: “The Lady charts the rise and fall of former royal dresser Jane Andrews, whose rags to riches fairy tale fell apart when she was convicted of murder.
“Once a young working-class girl from Grimsby, Jane answered an advertisement in the magazine The Lady and to the astonishment of her friends and family, became the Duchess of York’s dresser at Buckingham Palace.”