How Prince Andrew's Removal of Titles Signifies for Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

Royal Family Figures

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

Sarah Ferguson's New Status

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

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

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

"She has lost a bit of cachet over this," noted one royal commentator. "She certainly does use the title – even her social media profile is @TheDuchessSarah."

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 patron after an email from over a decade ago showed that she called Epstein her "supreme friend" and appeared to express regret for her negative comments of him.

Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy

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

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

But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in monarchical networks. She's kept recovering strongly.

"She's the ultimate survivor and master of reinvention," said one royal author.

The Princesses

Princess Beatrice during occasion
Princess Beatrice and Princess Beatrice pictured at a Coronation Big Lunch in last year

For the couple's two daughters, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, there's no official alteration.

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

Additionally there is no change to the royal succession order.

The prince stays eighth in line to the throne, succeeded by his children 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 presently non-official royals, and while they do sometimes accept positions – Princess Eugenie was recently announced as a mentor for the King's Foundation network – experts also say they "don't envision a world" in which they would advance into official responsibilities.

"As far as Beatrice and Eugenie go, I think there's an appreciation of the reality that this scandal doesn't involve them, and it's unjust for it to impact them directly in the separate paths they are building for themselves," explains one royal commentator.

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

Final Impact

Ultimately, there appears to be minimal uncertainty that the person who will be most affected by all of this will be the Duke himself.

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

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

Matthew Haynes
Matthew Haynes

A certified mindfulness coach and writer passionate about helping others find inner peace through simple, effective practices.