🔗 Share this article

Prince Andrew's removal from the final remnants of monarchical duties has not only altered his path - it's sending ripples through his immediate relatives too.

Sarah Ferguson's Title Change

The former spouse has now surrendered her ducal status and will now be referred to as Sarah Ferguson.

For Ferguson, sixty-six, the transition will be the most apparent.

For all these years, she has kept the courtesy royal divorcee title Sarah, York Duchess. Currently, she returns to her maiden name of Ferguson.

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

But the loss of her title may affect her much less than the controversy she's facing separately about her own connections to the convicted financier.

Last month, multiple organizations removed her as patron after correspondence from over a decade ago revealed that she called Epstein her "greatest ally" and appeared to express regret for her public criticism of him.

Business Ventures and Philanthropy

Away from her philanthropy, Ferguson also has various business ventures.

And these ventures, are more likely to be impacted by the Epstein scandal than any alteration in status, says one monarchy analyst.

But Ferguson has been a great survivor in monarchical networks. She has continued bouncing back.

"She is the ultimate survivor and master of reinvention," commented one royal author.

The Daughters

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

They continue to be known as princesses, which they have been granted since their birth.

There is also no change to the line of succession.

Andrew remains eighth in line to the crown, followed by his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth place respectively.

But in practice their standing are "low down" and will likely become even more remote as years pass.

Coming Opportunities

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

"Regarding Beatrice and Eugenie go, I think there's an appreciation of the reality that this scandal doesn't involve them, and it's not fair for it to impact them directly in the independent lives they are carving out for themselves," says one royal commentator.

"Their daughters are particularly unlucky victims, they've had to endure quietly and have been composed in their reserve," states another monarchy writer.

Ultimate Consequences

In the end, there seems to be little doubt that the individual who will be most affected by all of this will be the Duke himself.

For a man who consistently enjoyed the trappings of royalty, the ceremony and the pageantry, the relinquishment of his honors is profoundly embarrassing.

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