What the Duke's Titles Loss Signifies for Fergie, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

York Family Figures

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

Fergie's New Status

His ex-wife 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 visible.

Throughout this period, she has kept the courtesy royal post-marital designation Sarah, Duchess of York. Currently, she returns 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 Twitter bio is @SarahTheDuchess."

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

Last month, several charities removed her as patron after an email from 2011 showed that she called Epstein her "supreme friend" and seemed to apologise for her public criticism of him.

Business Ventures and Charity Work

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

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

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

"She's the ultimate survivor and expert at transforming," commented one royal author.

The Daughters

Princess Beatrice at event
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie pictured at a Coronation Big Lunch in 2023

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

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

Additionally there is no change to the royal succession order.

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

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

Coming Opportunities

Beatrice and Eugenie are also presently non-working royals, and while they do sometimes take on roles – Princess Eugenie was recently announced as a mentor for the monarch's charity network – experts also suggest they "don't envision a scenario" in which they would advance into royal duties.

"Regarding Beatrice and Eugenie are concerned, I think there's an understanding of the reality that this controversy doesn't involve them, and it's not fair for it to affect them directly in the separate paths they are carving out for themselves," explains one monarchy analyst.

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

Final Impact

Ultimately, there seems to be little doubt that the person who will be most affected by all of this will be the Duke himself.

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

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

Kaitlyn Roberts
Kaitlyn Roberts

A passionate writer and lifestyle enthusiast sharing curated content on fashion, travel, and wellness from a UK perspective.