What the Duke's Removal of Titles Signifies for Fergie, Beatrice and Princess Eugenie
Prince Andrew's removal from the last vestiges of monarchical duties has not only altered his path - it's creating waves through his immediate relatives too.
Fergie's Title Change
His ex-wife has now surrendered her ducal status and will simply be known as Sarah Ferguson.
For Sarah, 66, the transition will be the most visible.
For all these years, she has maintained the honorary royal divorcee title Sarah, Duchess of York. Now, she reverts to her birth name of Ferguson.
"She has lost a certain prestige over this," said one monarchy expert. "She definitely does use 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.
Last month, several charities removed her as ambassador after an email from 2011 showed that she called Epstein her "greatest ally" and appeared to express regret for her negative comments of him.
Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy
Separate from her philanthropy, Ferguson also has multiple commercial enterprises.
And these, too, are more likely to be affected by the Epstein scandal than any alteration in status, says one royal commentator.
But Ferguson has been a great survivor in monarchical networks. She's kept bouncing back.
"She is the supreme perseverer and master of reinvention," said one royal author.
The Princesses
For Andrew and Sarah's offspring, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, thirty-five, there's no official alteration.
They will still be referred to as princesses, which they have been granted since birth.
There is also no change to the line of succession.
The prince stays eighth position to the throne, followed by his children Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth place respectively.
But in practice their standing are "low down" and will likely become much further down as time goes on.
Future Prospects
The princesses are also presently non-working royals, and while they do sometimes accept positions – The younger princess was recently named as a mentor for the King's Foundation program – experts also suggest they "don't envision a scenario" in which they would step up into official responsibilities.
"As far as Beatrice and Eugenie go, I think there's an understanding of the fact that this scandal doesn't involve them, and it's unjust for it to affect them directly in the separate paths they are building for themselves," explains one monarchy analyst.
"Their daughters are particularly unlucky affected parties, they've had to endure quietly and have been dignified in their silence," adds another royal author.
Final Impact
In the end, there appears to be minimal uncertainty that the individual who will be most affected by all of this will be the Duke himself.
For a man who always liked the royal privileges, the pomp and the ceremony, the relinquishment of his honors is profoundly embarrassing.
So to not have those, on a individual basis, will significantly count.