🔗 Share this article

Prince Andrew's exit from the last vestiges of monarchical duties has not only reshaped his future - it's creating waves through his immediate relatives too.

Fergie's New Status

The former spouse has now lost her duchess title and will now be referred to as Sarah Ferguson.

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

Throughout this period, she has maintained the honorary royal divorcee title Sarah, York Duchess. Currently, she returns to her birth name of Ferguson.

"She has lost a certain prestige over this," noted one royal commentator. "She certainly utilizes the title – including her Twitter bio is @SarahTheDuchess."

But the loss of her title may impact her much less than the controversy she's facing separately about her own connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

Last month, multiple organizations dropped her as ambassador after an email from 2011 revealed that she called Epstein her "greatest ally" and appeared to express regret for her negative comments of him.

Professional Endeavors and Charity Work

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

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

But Ferguson has been a great survivor in royal circles. She's kept recovering strongly.

"She is the supreme perseverer and expert at transforming," commented one monarchy writer.

The Princesses

For Andrew and Sarah's offspring, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, there's no official alteration.

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

Additionally there is no change to the royal succession order.

Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne, succeeded by his children Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position in that order.

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

Coming Opportunities

The princesses are also currently non-official royals, and while they do sometimes take on roles – The younger princess was recently named as a advisor for the monarch's charity program – experts also suggest they "can't see a scenario" in which they would step up into royal duties.

"As far as Beatrice and Eugenie are concerned, I think there's an appreciation of the fact that this controversy doesn't involve them, and it's unjust for it to affect them personally in the separate paths they are carving out for themselves," explains one royal commentator.

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

Ultimate Consequences

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

For someone who consistently enjoyed the trappings of royalty, the ceremony and the ceremony, the loss of his titles is deeply humiliating.

Therefore lacking those, on a personal level, will really matter.