What the Duke's Titles Loss Signifies for Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice and Eugenie
The Duke's removal from the last vestiges of monarchical duties has not only altered his path - it's creating waves through his immediate relatives too.
Sarah Ferguson's New Status
The former spouse has now surrendered her ducal status and will now be referred to as Sarah Ferguson.
For Sarah, sixty-six, the change will be the most visible.
For all these years, she has maintained the honorary royal post-marital designation Sarah, Duchess of York. Now, she returns to her birth name of Ferguson.
"She will have lost a certain prestige over this," noted one royal commentator. "She certainly utilizes the title – even her Twitter bio is @SarahTheDuchess."
But the relinquishment of her status may impact her much less than the controversy she's facing separately about her own connections to the convicted financier.
Recently, multiple organizations removed her as patron after an email from 2011 revealed that she called Epstein her "greatest ally" and seemed to apologise for her public criticism of him.
Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy
Away from her charitable activities, Ferguson also has multiple commercial enterprises.
And these ventures, are more likely to be impacted by the Epstein controversy than any change in title, notes one royal commentator.
But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in royal circles. She's kept recovering strongly.
"She is the supreme perseverer and master of reinvention," commented one monarchy writer.
The Princesses
For the couple's offspring, Beatrice, thirty-seven, and Eugenie, 35, there's no formal change.
They will still be referred to as princesses, which they have been entitled to since their birth.
There is also no change 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 reality their positions are "distant" and will likely become even more remote as years pass.
Future Prospects
The princesses 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 program – commentators also suggest they "don't envision a world" in which they would step up into royal duties.
"Regarding 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 impact them directly in the separate paths they are building for themselves," explains one royal commentator.
"The princesses are particularly unlucky affected parties, they've had to endure quietly and have been dignified in their silence," states another monarchy writer.
Ultimate Consequences
In the end, there appears to be minimal uncertainty that the individual who will be most affected by all of this will be Prince Andrew himself.
For a man who always liked the trappings of royalty, the pomp and the pageantry, the relinquishment of his honors is profoundly embarrassing.
So to not have those, on a individual basis, will really matter.