How the Duke's Titles Loss Signifies for Fergie, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie
Prince Andrew's exit from the final remnants of monarchical duties has not only altered his path - it's creating waves through his family too.
Sarah Ferguson's New Status
His ex-wife has now lost her duchess title 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, Duchess of York. Now, she reverts to her maiden name of Ferguson.
"She will have lost a certain prestige over this," noted one monarchy expert. "She definitely utilizes the title – even her social media profile is @TheDuchessSarah."
But the loss of her title may affect her much less than the controversy she's dealing with independently about her own connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Recently, multiple organizations removed her as ambassador after an email from over a decade ago revealed that she referred to Epstein her "greatest ally" and appeared to express regret for her negative comments of him.
Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy
Separate from her charitable activities, Ferguson also has multiple commercial enterprises.
And these ventures, are more probable to be affected by the Epstein scandal than any change in title, says one monarchy analyst.
But Ferguson has been a great survivor in royal circles. She has continued bouncing back.
"She's the ultimate survivor and master of reinvention," commented one monarchy writer.
The Daughters
For Andrew and Sarah's offspring, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, thirty-five, there's no formal change.
They continue to be known as princesses, which they have been granted since birth.
Additionally there is no modification to the line of succession.
The prince stays eighth in line to the throne, followed by his children Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position respectively.
But in reality their positions are "low down" and will probably become even more remote as time goes on.
Future Prospects
Beatrice and Eugenie are also presently non-working royals, and while they do sometimes accept positions – Princess Eugenie was recently named as a mentor for the monarch's charity network – commentators also suggest they "don't envision a world" in which they would step up into official responsibilities.
"Regarding Beatrice and Eugenie are concerned, I think there's an understanding of the fact that this controversy doesn't involve them, and it's not fair for it to affect 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 suffer in silence and have been dignified in their reserve," states another royal author.
Final Impact
In the end, there seems to be little doubt that the individual who will be most affected by these developments will be Prince Andrew himself.
For someone who consistently enjoyed the trappings of royalty, the ceremony and the pageantry, the loss of his titles is deeply humiliating.
So to not have these, on a personal level, will really matter.