How the Duke's Titles Loss Means for Sarah Ferguson, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie
Prince Andrew's removal from the last vestiges of monarchical duties has not only reshaped his future - 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 Ferguson, 66, the change will be the most apparent.
For all these years, she has maintained the honorary royal divorcee title Sarah, York Duchess. Now, she reverts to her birth name of Ferguson.
"She will have lost a bit of cachet over this," said one monarchy expert. "She definitely utilizes the title – even her social media profile is @TheDuchessSarah."
But the loss of her title may affect her much less than the scandal she's facing separately about her own links with the convicted financier.
Recently, several charities removed her as ambassador after an email from 2011 revealed that she referred to Epstein her "supreme friend" and seemed to apologise for her negative comments of him.
Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy
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, notes one royal commentator.
But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in royal circles. She has continued bouncing back.
"She is the ultimate survivor and expert at transforming," commented one royal author.
The Daughters
For the couple's offspring, Beatrice, thirty-seven, and Eugenie, thirty-five, there's no official alteration.
They continue to be known as princesses, which they have been entitled to since birth.
Additionally there is no modification to the royal succession order.
The prince stays eighth position to the throne, succeeded by his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position respectively.
But in practice their positions are "distant" and will probably become much further down as time goes on.
Coming Opportunities
Beatrice and Eugenie are also presently non-official royals, and while they do sometimes take on roles – Princess Eugenie was recently named as a mentor for the monarch's charity program – experts also say they "don't envision a world" in which they would step up into official responsibilities.
"As far as Beatrice and Eugenie are concerned, I think there's an appreciation of the reality that this controversy isn't about them, and it's unjust for it to impact them directly in the separate paths they are building for themselves," explains one royal commentator.
"The princesses are most unfortunate affected parties, they've had to endure quietly and have been dignified in their reserve," states another royal author.
Ultimate Consequences
In the end, there appears to be minimal uncertainty that the person who will be most affected by all of this will be Prince Andrew himself.
For someone who consistently enjoyed the trappings of royalty, the ceremony and the pageantry, the relinquishment of his honors is deeply humiliating.
So to not have those, on a individual basis, will really matter.