Epstein files raise questions over Princess Eugenie's charity - The Times

When Princess Eugenie’s anti-slavery and trafficking charity held its star-studded inaugural gala, she wanted everyone to know about it.

She posted behind-the-scenes pictures on her Instagram and invited photographers whose shots of Ed Sheeran and Zara Tindall featured on Vogue’s website the next day.

Over two years later, The Anti-Slavery Collective (TASC) is ignoring media requests amid scrutiny over the House of York’s contact with Jeffrey Epstein.

Eugenie, 35, founded TASC with her childhood friend Julia de Boinville in 2017. Its website states it is “not a service delivery organisation, but a platform for connection, collaboration and change” to support existing anti-slavery charities.

Last year it spent twice as much on salaries than charity work.

Revelations in the latest release of the Epstein files, which feature Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s daughter more than 300 times, have prompted questions over whether Eugenie’s acquaintance with the paedophile financier undermines the charity’s work.

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Andrew Lownie, the author of the unauthorised biography Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, said: “It’s a preposterously inappropriate cause for Eugenie to be involved with.”

Eugenie has never publicly commented on her acquaintance with Epstein, who died in prison awaiting trial, or Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a prison sentence in the United States for trafficking young women.

Correspondence between her mother, Sarah Ferguson, and Epstein appears to show that Eugenie and her sister Beatrice, then 19 and 20 respectively, visited Epstein at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, in July 2009 just five days after he had been released from jail after serving 13 months for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

The princesses also appear to have been used to give tea and tours of Buckingham Palace to some of Epstein’s contacts. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Ferguson or her daughters.

Several organisations associated with Eugenie and Beatrice have stood by them since the release of the Epstein files, confirming they would continue their charitable roles.

Eugenie’s own charity, however, has gone quiet.

TASC’s social media accounts, which previously posted regularly, have not been updated since late January. The Times contacted the charity multiple times via email and phone but received no response.

A reporter approached the charity’s registered address in London, which sits on a square of empty and shuttered retail units. The address was not an office but rather a mailing and forwarding service. The Times understands over 10,000 other companies are registered at the site.

Several industry experts said TASC seemed to keep largely to itself, focusing predominantly on its #FakeFashion campaign. The chief executive, Sarah Woodcock, had written regularly on LinkedIn about its research on counterfeit fashion and labour exploitation but last posted on January 25, days before the US Department of Justice released a tranche of 3 million documents relating to Epstein.

Despite being founded in 2017, the charity was incorporated in 2022. Its inaugural Force for Freedom gala in November 2023 raised £1.1 million, which will be used to “underwrite the core costs” of its work for the following three years according to its annual report.

In the year to April 2025, TASC had an income of £92,311, of which £48,358 was donations. Its expenditures during the same period were £301,024, financed by reserves from previous years, including £191,537 on salaries — one part-time and five full-time employees — and £97,206 on programmes.

TASC focused on four initiatives during the year, including an education programme.

Eugenie does not receive any remuneration in her role as one of three trustees alongside de Boinville and Caroline Haughey KC.

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The princess has been the public face of the charity, attending events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos. Her mother and sister have also featured on TASC’s social media feeds, with one video describing Beatrice as a strategic adviser, although it is unclear if this is a formal role.

Eugenie hosted a podcast with de Boinville titled Floodlights, recording 22 episodes over a 20-month period. Guests included Dame Emma Thompson and Baroness May of Maidenhead.

Louise Waite, a professor at the University of Leeds with a focus on modern slavery, raised concerns about the “celebrification” of anti-trafficking. Waite did not comment on TASC specifically but said “the sector, in places, is awash with money”.

She added: “I and other colleagues are concerned that amongst all the noise around modern slavery there is insufficient attention on the actual effectiveness of many interventions within this field.”

Last year TASC started offering small grants to support four survivor-led organisations.

The Times understands the Salvation Army received £10,000 over two years and hosted Eugenie at a centre supporting survivors in May last year. A spokesman said: “We place victims and survivors at the heart of all our decision making and we are closely monitoring this story.”

The Sophie Hayes Foundation, which helps survivors of modern slavery develop new skills, confirmed it received two small grants and worked on initiatives with TASC.

Bramber Bakehouse, which offers baking workshops, also received two grant donations in recent years. It denied having a formal partnership with TASC or any operational support. “[We] will continue to ensure any funding we accept is in line with our values and keep our relationships under review,” it said.

Caritas Bakhita House, a safe house for women who have been exploited, also received a grant from TASC. It said: “We are careful to ensure that any partnership serves that mission and protects the wellbeing of those we support.”

Eugenie could not be reached for comment.