How Prince Andrew's Titles Loss Signifies for Sarah Ferguson, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie
Prince Andrew's removal from the last vestiges of monarchical duties has not only altered his path - it's sending ripples through his immediate relatives too.
Fergie's Title Change
The former spouse has now surrendered her ducal status and will now be referred to as Sarah Ferguson.
For Sarah, 66, the change will be the most apparent.
For all these years, she has kept the courtesy royal post-marital designation Sarah, Duchess of York. Currently, she returns to her maiden name of Ferguson.
"She has lost a certain prestige over this," said one monarchy expert. "She definitely utilizes the title – even her Twitter bio is @SarahTheDuchess."
But the loss of her title may affect her much less than the scandal she's facing separately about her own links with Jeffrey Epstein.
Recently, multiple organizations removed her as patron after correspondence from 2011 showed that she called Epstein her "supreme friend" and appeared to express regret for her public criticism 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 scandal than any alteration in status, says one royal commentator.
But Ferguson has been a great survivor in royal circles. She's kept recovering strongly.
"She's the ultimate survivor and expert at transforming," commented one royal author.
The Daughters
For the couple's offspring, Beatrice, thirty-seven, and Eugenie, 35, there's no formal change.
They continue to be known as royal princesses, which they have been entitled to since birth.
There is also no change to the royal succession order.
Andrew remains eighth in line to the crown, succeeded by his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position in that order.
But in practice their positions are "low down" and will probably become much further down as years pass.
Future Prospects
Beatrice and Eugenie are also currently non-official royals, and while they occasionally take on roles – The younger princess was recently announced as a advisor for the King's Foundation network – experts also say they "can't see a world" in which they would advance into royal duties.
"As far as Beatrice and Eugenie go, I think there's an appreciation of the fact that this controversy isn't about them, and it's unjust for it to affect them directly in the independent lives they are building for themselves," explains one monarchy analyst.
"The princesses are most unfortunate victims, they've had to endure quietly and have been composed in their silence," states another monarchy writer.
Ultimate Consequences
In the end, there seems to be minimal uncertainty that the individual who will be most impacted by these developments will be Prince Andrew himself.
For a man who consistently enjoyed the royal privileges, the ceremony and the ceremony, the loss of his titles is deeply humiliating.
So to not have these, on a individual basis, will really matter.