🔗 Share this article

Prince Andrew's exit from the last vestiges of royal life has not only reshaped his future - it's sending ripples through his immediate relatives too.

Sarah Ferguson's Title Change

His ex-wife has now surrendered her ducal status and will simply be known as Sarah Ferguson.

For Sarah, sixty-six, the change will be the most visible.

For all these years, she has kept the courtesy royal post-marital designation Sarah, York Duchess. Now, she reverts to her birth name of Ferguson.

"She will have lost a certain prestige over this," said one monarchy expert. "She definitely utilizes the title – including her social media profile is @SarahTheDuchess."

But the relinquishment of her status may affect her much less than the scandal she's facing separately about her own links with the convicted financier.

Recently, several charities dropped her as patron after an email from over a decade ago showed that she called Epstein her "greatest ally" and seemed to apologise for her public criticism of him.

Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy

Separate from her philanthropy, Ferguson also has multiple commercial enterprises.

And these, too, are more likely to be impacted by the Epstein controversy than any alteration in status, notes one royal commentator.

But Ferguson has been a great survivor in royal circles. She's kept bouncing back.

"She is the ultimate survivor and expert at transforming," commented one monarchy writer.

The Daughters

For the couple's offspring, Beatrice, thirty-seven, and Eugenie, 35, there's no official alteration.

They continue to be referred to as royal 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, succeeded by his children Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position in that order.

But in practice their standing are "low down" and will likely become much further down as years pass.

Coming Opportunities

The princesses are also presently non-official royals, and while they do sometimes accept positions – Princess Eugenie was recently named as a mentor for the monarch's charity network – experts also suggest they "don't envision a world" in which they would advance into royal duties.

"Regarding Beatrice and Eugenie are concerned, I think there's an understanding of the fact that this scandal doesn't involve them, and it's unjust for it to affect them personally in the independent lives they are carving out for themselves," explains one royal commentator.

"The princesses are particularly unlucky victims, they've had to suffer in silence and have been composed in their reserve," states another monarchy writer.

Ultimate Consequences

In the end, there appears to be minimal uncertainty that the person who will be most impacted by these developments will be Prince Andrew himself.

For a man who always liked the royal privileges, the ceremony and the ceremony, the relinquishment of his honors is profoundly embarrassing.

So to not have those, on a personal level, will really matter.