How the Duke's Removal of Titles Signifies for Fergie, Beatrice and Eugenie
Prince Andrew's exit from the final remnants of royal life 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 now be referred to as Sarah Ferguson.
For Sarah, sixty-six, the transition will be the most apparent.
For all these years, she has kept the courtesy royal divorcee title Sarah, York Duchess. Currently, she reverts to her birth name of Ferguson.
"She has lost a bit of cachet over this," noted one monarchy expert. "She certainly utilizes the title – including her social media profile is @TheDuchessSarah."
But the relinquishment of her status may affect her much less than the scandal she's facing separately about her own links with Jeffrey Epstein.
Last month, multiple organizations removed her as ambassador after correspondence from over a decade ago showed that she called Epstein her "greatest ally" and seemed to apologise for her negative comments of him.
Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy
Away from her philanthropy, Ferguson also has multiple commercial enterprises.
And these, too, are more probable to be impacted by the Epstein scandal than any alteration in status, notes one monarchy analyst.
But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in monarchical networks. She has continued recovering strongly.
"She is the ultimate survivor and master of reinvention," said one royal author.
The Daughters
For Andrew and Sarah's two daughters, Beatrice, thirty-seven, and Eugenie, 35, there's no official alteration.
They will still be referred to as princesses, which they have been entitled to since birth.
There is also no modification to the line of succession.
Andrew remains 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 even more remote as time goes on.
Coming Opportunities
Beatrice and Eugenie are also currently non-official royals, and while they occasionally take on roles – Princess Eugenie was recently announced as a mentor for the King's Foundation program – experts also say they "can't see a scenario" in which they would advance into official responsibilities.
"Regarding Beatrice and Eugenie go, I think there's an understanding of the reality that this scandal doesn't involve them, and it's not fair for it to impact them directly in the separate paths they are building for themselves," explains one royal commentator.
"The princesses are particularly unlucky victims, they've had to endure quietly and have been composed in their silence," states another monarchy writer.
Ultimate Consequences
Ultimately, there seems to be little doubt that the individual who will be most impacted by all of this will be Prince Andrew himself.
For a man who always liked the royal privileges, the pomp and the ceremony, the loss of his titles is deeply humiliating.
Therefore lacking these, on a personal level, will really matter.