What the Duke's Removal of Titles Signifies 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 Sarah, 66, the change will be the most apparent.
For all these years, she has maintained the honorary royal post-marital designation Sarah, Duchess of York. Currently, she returns to her birth name of Ferguson.
"She has lost a bit of cachet over this," noted one monarchy expert. "She certainly utilizes the title – including her Twitter bio is @TheDuchessSarah."
But the loss of her title may impact 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 showed that she called Epstein her "supreme friend" and seemed to apologise for her public criticism of him.
Business Ventures and Philanthropy
Separate from her charitable activities, Ferguson also has various business ventures.
And these, too, are more probable to be affected by the Epstein controversy than any alteration in status, says one royal commentator.
But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in royal circles. She has continued bouncing back.
"She's the supreme perseverer and expert at transforming," commented one royal author.
The Princesses
For Andrew and Sarah's two daughters, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, there's no official alteration.
They will still be referred to as royal princesses, which they have been granted since their birth.
Additionally there is no modification to the royal succession order.
The prince stays eighth position to the throne, followed by his children Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position respectively.
But in practice their standing are "low down" and will probably become even more remote as time goes on.
Coming Opportunities
Beatrice and Eugenie are also currently non-working royals, and while they do sometimes take on roles – Princess Eugenie was recently named as a advisor for the King's Foundation program – experts also suggest they "don't envision a world" in which they would advance into royal duties.
"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 not fair for it to impact them directly in the separate paths they are carving out for themselves," explains one royal commentator.
"The princesses are particularly unlucky affected parties, they've had to endure quietly and have been composed in their silence," adds another royal author.
Ultimate Consequences
In the end, there appears to be minimal uncertainty that the person who will be most impacted by these developments will be the Duke himself.
For someone who consistently enjoyed the royal privileges, the pomp and the ceremony, the loss of his titles is profoundly embarrassing.
Therefore lacking those, on a individual basis, will really matter.