EPAThe Duchess of York has been removed as patron of a children's charity, in the wake of an email in which she called sex offender Jeffrey Epstein her "supreme friend".Julia's House, a children's hospice charity serving families in Dorset and Wiltshire, has removed Sarah Ferguson from her role as patron."Following the information shared this weekend on the Duchess of York's correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, Julia's House has taken the decision that it would be inappropriate for her to continue as a patron of the charity," said a Julia's House spokesperson."We have advised the Duchess of York of this decision and thank her for her past support," said the statement.The decision to end the link with the duchess follows the publication of an email from her to Epstein in 2011, which appears to have been sent after she had publicly broken off contact with him.The email appeared to privately apologise for her public rejection of Epstein, saying: "You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family."A spokesperson for the duchess - the former wife of the Prince Andrew, the Duke of York - said the email was to counter a threat Epstein had made to sue her for defamation.Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.