🔗 Share this article

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

Sarah Ferguson's New Status

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

For Ferguson, 66, the transition will be the most visible.

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

"She has lost a certain prestige over this," noted one monarchy expert. "She certainly 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 dealing with independently about her own connections to the convicted financier.

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

Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy

Separate from her charitable activities, Ferguson also has various business ventures.

And these ventures, are more probable to be affected by the Epstein controversy than any change in title, says one royal commentator.

But Ferguson has been a great survivor in monarchical networks. She's kept recovering strongly.

"She's the supreme perseverer and master of reinvention," commented one royal author.

The Princesses

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

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

Additionally there is no modification to the line of succession.

The prince stays eighth position to the throne, succeeded by his children Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position in that order.

But in reality their positions are "distant" and will likely become much further down as time goes on.

Future Prospects

Beatrice and Eugenie are also currently non-working royals, and while they do sometimes accept positions – Princess Eugenie was recently announced as a mentor for the King's Foundation network – commentators also suggest they "can't see 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 controversy isn't about them, and it's unjust for it to affect them directly in the independent lives they are carving out for themselves," explains one royal commentator.

"Their daughters are most unfortunate affected parties, they've had to suffer in silence and have been composed in their reserve," states another royal author.

Final Impact

In the end, there seems to be little doubt that the individual who will be most affected by these developments will be Prince Andrew himself.

For someone who always liked the royal privileges, the ceremony and the ceremony, the relinquishment of his honors is deeply humiliating.

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