What the Duke's Removal of Titles Means for Sarah Ferguson, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie
Prince Andrew's exit from the last vestiges of royal life has not only altered his path - it's sending ripples through his family too.
Sarah Ferguson's Title Change
The former spouse has now lost her duchess title and will now be referred to as Sarah Ferguson.
For Sarah, 66, the change will be the most visible.
For all these years, she has kept the courtesy royal post-marital designation Sarah, York Duchess. Currently, she returns to her maiden name of Ferguson.
"She will have lost a certain prestige over this," said one monarchy expert. "She certainly utilizes the title – even her Twitter bio is @SarahTheDuchess."
But the loss of her title may impact her much less than the scandal she's dealing with independently about her own links with the convicted financier.
Last month, several charities removed her as patron after an email from over a decade ago revealed that she referred to Epstein her "greatest ally" and appeared to express regret for her negative comments of him.
Business Ventures and Philanthropy
Separate from her philanthropy, Ferguson also has various business ventures.
And these, too, are more likely to be affected by the Epstein scandal than any alteration in status, says one royal commentator.
But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in royal circles. She has continued recovering strongly.
"She's the ultimate survivor and expert at transforming," commented one monarchy writer.
The Daughters
For the couple's offspring, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, there's no official alteration.
They will still be referred to as princesses, which they have been entitled to since birth.
There is also no modification to the royal succession order.
Andrew remains eighth in line to the crown, followed by his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth place in that order.
But in reality their standing are "distant" and will probably become much further down as years pass.
Future Prospects
The princesses are also currently non-official royals, and while they do sometimes accept positions – Princess Eugenie was recently named as a mentor for the monarch's charity program – experts also suggest they "can't see a scenario" in which they would step up into official responsibilities.
"Regarding Beatrice and Eugenie go, I think there's an understanding of the reality that this controversy isn't about them, and it's unjust for it to impact them directly in the independent lives they are building for themselves," explains one royal commentator.
"The princesses are most unfortunate victims, they've had to endure quietly and have been dignified in their reserve," states another monarchy writer.
Final Impact
In the end, there appears to be minimal uncertainty that the individual who will be most impacted by all of this will be Prince Andrew himself.
For someone who consistently enjoyed the royal privileges, the ceremony and the ceremony, the loss of his titles is deeply humiliating.
Therefore lacking these, on a individual basis, will really matter.