Sarah Ferguson sorry for taking money from a sex offender

Sarah Ferguson says she's sorry for taking a $24,500 loan from a convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffery Epstein, according to the Evening Standard.

The Duchess of York says she did not know about Epstein's criminal background when she accepted the loan, but promises to return the money. "Whenever I can, I will repay the money and will have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again," Ferguson said.

Epstein spent 13 months in prison for soliciting an underage prostitute in 2008. The loan was for Ferguson's former assistant Johnny O'Sullivan who claimed $126,000 in unpaid wages and other bills. His offer came after Epstein vacationed with Ferguson's ex-husband Prince Andrew. Epstein did not directly speak to the duchess about the loan, the offer came through Prince Andrew's office and then with O'Sullivan.

"I personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me," she told the UK paper. "I abhor pedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know this is a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf."

Ferguson made headlines last year when she was videotaped appearing to offer to sell a British tabloid access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, who is the Duke of York, Queen Elizabeth's second son and fourth in line to the throne.

The Duchess tells the Standard that she's also sorry for involving Prince Andrew in another scandal. "Once again my errors have compounded and rebounded and also inadvertently impacted on the man I admire most in the world, the duke," She said. "He has supported me and come to my rescue again and again and there is absolutely nothing that I would not do for him."

Last year, Ferguson apologized for her "serious lapse in judgment" in a statement after the video was posted online in May. She later went on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and said her own self-hatred, mounting debts and "gross stupidity" led her fall for the videotaped sting.

Ferguson was not invited to the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton but said she never expected to be invited in the first place.

Her office said in a statement to the Associated Press that she "won't be attending and she was never expecting to attend."

The Duchess offered some advice for Middleton about marriage to a royal saying, "Remember that you're marrying a beautiful man you are in love with and remember to make time for him, because I didn't."