What the Duke's Titles Loss Means for Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

Royal Family Members

Prince Andrew's exit from the final remnants of monarchical duties has not only altered his path - it's creating waves through his family too.

Sarah Ferguson's Title Change

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

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

Throughout this period, she has kept the courtesy royal divorcee title Sarah, Duchess of York. Currently, she returns to her birth name of Ferguson.

"She will have lost a bit of cachet over this," said one royal commentator. "She certainly utilizes the title – including her Twitter bio 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 the convicted financier.

Last month, multiple organizations dropped her as ambassador after correspondence from 2011 revealed that she called Epstein her "supreme friend" 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 likely to be affected by the Epstein controversy than any alteration in status, says one monarchy analyst.

But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in royal circles. She has continued recovering strongly.

"She's the supreme perseverer and expert at transforming," commented one monarchy writer.

The Daughters

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

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

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

There is also no modification to the royal succession order.

Andrew remains eighth in line to the crown, followed by his children Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position in that order.

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

Future Prospects

The princesses are also presently non-official royals, and while they do sometimes accept positions – The younger princess was recently announced as a mentor for the monarch's charity network – commentators also say they "don't envision a scenario" in which they would advance into official responsibilities.

"Regarding Beatrice and Eugenie are concerned, 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 independent lives they are carving out for themselves," says one royal commentator.

"The princesses are most unfortunate victims, they've had to suffer in silence and have been composed in their silence," adds another royal author.

Ultimate Consequences

Ultimately, there seems to be minimal uncertainty that the person who will be most impacted by these developments will be Prince Andrew himself.

For someone who consistently enjoyed the royal privileges, the pomp and the pageantry, the loss of his titles is profoundly embarrassing.

So to not have those, on a personal level, will significantly count.

Melissa Edwards
Melissa Edwards

A seasoned real estate analyst with over a decade of experience in the Dutch market, passionate about helping clients make informed property decisions.