What the Duke's Removal of Titles Means for Sarah Ferguson, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

York Family Figures

The Duke's exit from the last vestiges of monarchical duties has not only altered his path - it's sending ripples through his family too.

Sarah Ferguson's Title Change

His ex-wife has now lost her duchess title and will now be referred to as Sarah Ferguson.

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

Throughout this period, she has maintained the honorary royal divorcee title Sarah, Duchess of York. Now, she reverts to her maiden name of Ferguson.

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

But the loss of her title may affect her much less than the scandal she's dealing with independently about her own connections to the convicted financier.

Recently, multiple organizations dropped her as ambassador after an email from over a decade ago revealed that she referred to Epstein her "greatest ally" and seemed to apologise for her public criticism of him.

Business Ventures and Charity Work

Away from her charitable activities, Ferguson also has multiple commercial enterprises.

And these, too, are more probable to be impacted by the Epstein scandal than any alteration in status, says one royal commentator.

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

"She's the supreme perseverer and expert at transforming," said one monarchy writer.

The Princesses

Princess Beatrice during occasion
Princess Eugenie and Princess Eugenie pictured at a royal celebration in 2023

For the couple's offspring, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, there's no formal change.

They will still be referred to as princesses, which they have been entitled to since their birth.

Additionally there is no change to the line of succession.

The prince stays eighth in line to the crown, followed by his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position respectively.

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

Future Prospects

The princesses are also currently non-working royals, and while they do sometimes take on roles – Princess Eugenie was recently named as a mentor for the King's Foundation network – commentators also suggest they "can't see a world" in which they would step up into royal duties.

"Regarding Beatrice and Eugenie go, I think there's an appreciation of the fact that this scandal doesn't involve them, and it's not fair for it to impact them personally in the independent lives they are carving out for themselves," explains one monarchy analyst.

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

Ultimate Consequences

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

For a man who consistently enjoyed the trappings of royalty, the pomp and the pageantry, the relinquishment of his honors is deeply humiliating.

So to not have these, on a personal level, will significantly count.

Trevor Rangel
Trevor Rangel

Elara is a passionate gamer and tech enthusiast, known for her in-depth game analyses and engaging community content.