What Prince Andrew's Removal of Titles Means for Fergie, Beatrice and Eugenie
The Duke's removal from the last vestiges of royal life has not only altered his path - it's sending ripples through his family too.
Sarah Ferguson's New Status
His ex-wife has now surrendered her ducal status and will now be referred to as Sarah Ferguson.
For Ferguson, sixty-six, the transition will be the most visible.
For all these years, she has kept the courtesy royal divorcee title Sarah, York Duchess. Now, she returns to her maiden name of Ferguson.
"She will have lost a bit of cachet over this," noted one monarchy expert. "She certainly does use the title – including her Twitter bio is @SarahTheDuchess."
But the relinquishment of her status may affect her much less than the scandal she's dealing with independently about her own links with the convicted financier.
Recently, multiple organizations removed her as patron after correspondence from 2011 revealed that she referred to Epstein her "greatest ally" and seemed to apologise for her public criticism of him.
Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy
Separate from her charitable activities, Ferguson also has various business ventures.
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 great survivor in royal circles. She's kept recovering strongly.
"She's the ultimate survivor and expert at transforming," commented one monarchy writer.
The Princesses
For Andrew and Sarah's two daughters, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, there's no formal change.
They continue to be known as royal princesses, which they have been granted since their birth.
Additionally there is no modification to the line of succession.
Andrew remains eighth position to the throne, followed by his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth place respectively.
But in practice their positions are "distant" and will likely become much further down as years pass.
Future Prospects
Beatrice and Eugenie are also presently non-official royals, and while they do sometimes take on roles – Princess Eugenie was recently announced as a advisor for the King's Foundation network – experts also suggest they "can't see a world" in which they would advance 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 independent lives they are carving out for themselves," explains one monarchy analyst.
"Their daughters are most unfortunate affected parties, they've had to suffer in silence and have been dignified in their reserve," adds another royal author.
Ultimate Consequences
In the end, there appears to be little doubt that the individual who will be most impacted by these developments will be the Duke himself.
For someone who always liked the royal privileges, the pomp and the ceremony, the relinquishment of his honors is deeply humiliating.
So to not have those, on a personal level, will really matter.