What the Duke's Removal of Titles Means for Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice and Princess Eugenie
Prince Andrew's exit from the last vestiges of royal life has not only altered his path - it's sending ripples through his immediate relatives 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 transition will be the most visible.
For all these years, she has maintained the honorary royal post-marital designation Sarah, Duchess of York. Currently, she reverts to her maiden name of Ferguson.
"She has lost a certain prestige over this," noted one royal commentator. "She definitely utilizes the title – even 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 links with the convicted financier.
Recently, multiple organizations dropped 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
Away from her charitable activities, Ferguson also has various business ventures.
And these ventures, are more probable to be impacted by the Epstein controversy than any alteration in status, says one royal commentator.
But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in monarchical networks. She has continued bouncing back.
"She's the supreme perseverer and expert at transforming," commented one royal author.
The Princesses
For Andrew and Sarah's two daughters, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, thirty-five, there's no formal change.
They continue to be referred to as royal princesses, which they have been granted since their birth.
There is also no modification to the royal succession order.
The prince stays eighth position to the crown, followed by his daughters 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.
Coming Opportunities
Beatrice and Eugenie are also currently non-working royals, and while they do sometimes accept positions – Princess Eugenie was recently named as a mentor for the King's Foundation network – commentators also say they "can't see a scenario" in which they would advance into royal duties.
"As far as Beatrice and Eugenie go, I think there's an understanding of the fact that this scandal isn't about them, and it's not fair for it to impact them personally in the separate paths they are carving out for themselves," says one royal commentator.
"Their daughters are particularly unlucky affected parties, they've had to endure quietly and have been composed in their silence," adds another monarchy writer.
Final Impact
Ultimately, there seems to be minimal uncertainty that the individual who will be most impacted by these developments will be Prince Andrew himself.
For someone who always liked the royal privileges, the ceremony and the pageantry, the loss of his titles is deeply humiliating.
So to not have these, on a individual basis, will really matter.