🔗 Share this article

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

Fergie's New Status

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

For Sarah, 66, the change will be the most visible.

Throughout this period, she has kept the courtesy royal post-marital designation Sarah, York Duchess. Currently, she returns to her birth name of Ferguson.

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

But the relinquishment of her status may impact her much less than the controversy she's dealing with independently about her own connections to the convicted financier.

Last month, several charities removed her as patron after correspondence from over a decade ago showed that she referred to Epstein her "supreme friend" and seemed to apologise 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 probable to be impacted by the Epstein controversy than any alteration in status, says one monarchy analyst.

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

"She is the ultimate survivor and master of reinvention," commented one monarchy writer.

The Daughters

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

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

There is also no change to the royal succession order.

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

But in practice their standing are "low down" and will likely become much further down as time goes on.

Coming Opportunities

The princesses are also presently non-working royals, and while they occasionally accept positions – The younger princess was recently announced as a advisor for the King's Foundation network – experts also suggest they "don't envision a world" in which they would step up into royal duties.

"Regarding Beatrice and Eugenie are concerned, 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 separate paths they are building for themselves," explains one royal commentator.

"The princesses are most unfortunate victims, they've had to endure quietly and have been composed in their silence," adds another monarchy writer.

Final Impact

Ultimately, 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 always liked the royal privileges, the pomp and the ceremony, the relinquishment of his honors is deeply humiliating.

Therefore lacking those, on a individual basis, will significantly count.