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

York Family Members

The Duke's exit from the final remnants of royal life has not only reshaped his future - it's creating waves through his immediate relatives too.

Fergie'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 transition will be the most apparent.

For all these years, she has maintained the honorary royal divorcee title Sarah, Duchess of York. Now, she returns to her maiden name of Ferguson.

"She will have lost a certain prestige over this," noted one monarchy expert. "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 dealing with independently about her own links with Jeffrey Epstein.

Last month, multiple organizations dropped her as patron after correspondence from 2011 revealed that she referred to Epstein her "greatest ally" and appeared to express regret for her public criticism of him.

Professional Endeavors and Charity Work

Separate from her philanthropy, Ferguson also has various business ventures.

And these ventures, are more likely to be affected by the Epstein controversy than any change in title, notes one royal commentator.

But Ferguson has been a great survivor in royal circles. She has continued bouncing back.

"She is the ultimate survivor and expert at transforming," commented one monarchy writer.

The Daughters

Princess Beatrice during occasion
Princess Eugenie and Princess Eugenie seen at a royal celebration in 2023

For the couple's offspring, Beatrice, thirty-seven, and Eugenie, thirty-five, there's no formal change.

They will still be known as royal princesses, which they have been entitled to since their birth.

There is also no modification to the line of succession.

The prince stays eighth position to the throne, followed by his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position in that order.

But in practice their standing are "distant" and will probably become even more remote as time goes on.

Future Prospects

The princesses are also presently non-official royals, and while they occasionally accept positions – The younger princess was recently named as a advisor for the monarch's charity program – experts also suggest 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 fact that this controversy doesn't involve them, and it's unjust for it to impact them personally in the independent lives they are building for themselves," says one royal commentator.

"Their daughters are particularly unlucky affected parties, they've had to endure quietly and have been dignified in their reserve," states another royal author.

Final Impact

Ultimately, there appears to be minimal uncertainty that the person who will be most affected by all of this will be the Duke himself.

For a man 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.

Samuel Barnes
Samuel Barnes

Automotive expert with over a decade of experience in tire technology and car maintenance, passionate about sharing practical advice.