How the Duke's Titles Loss Means for Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice and Princess Eugenie
The Duke's exit from the final remnants of royal life has not only reshaped his future - it's creating waves through his family too.
Sarah Ferguson's New Status
His ex-wife has now surrendered her ducal status and will simply be known as Sarah Ferguson.
For Sarah, sixty-six, the transition will be the most apparent.
For all these years, she has kept the courtesy royal post-marital designation Sarah, York Duchess. Now, she returns to her maiden name of Ferguson.
"She will have lost a bit of cachet over this," noted one royal commentator. "She definitely does use the title – including her social media profile is @TheDuchessSarah."
But the loss of her title may impact her much less than the scandal she's facing separately about her own connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Recently, several charities dropped her as ambassador after an email from 2011 showed that she referred to Epstein her "greatest ally" and appeared to express regret for her public criticism of him.
Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy
Separate from her charitable activities, Ferguson also has multiple commercial enterprises.
And these ventures, are more likely to be impacted by the Epstein scandal than any alteration in status, notes one royal commentator.
But Ferguson has been a great survivor in monarchical networks. She has continued recovering strongly.
"She's the ultimate survivor and expert at transforming," said 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 known as royal princesses, which they have been entitled to since birth.
There is also no modification to the line of succession.
Andrew remains eighth in line to the crown, succeeded by his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position respectively.
But in reality their positions are "low down" and will probably become much further down as years pass.
Future Prospects
The princesses are also presently non-official royals, and while they do sometimes accept positions – Princess Eugenie was recently named as a mentor for the monarch's charity program – experts also suggest they "can't see a world" in which they would advance into official responsibilities.
"As far as 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 personally in the separate paths they are building for themselves," explains one royal commentator.
"Their daughters are most unfortunate victims, they've had to endure quietly and have been dignified in their silence," states another monarchy writer.
Ultimate Consequences
In the end, there appears to be minimal uncertainty that the person who will be most affected by these developments will be the Duke himself.
For a man who always liked the royal privileges, the ceremony and the ceremony, the loss of his titles is deeply humiliating.
Therefore lacking those, on a individual basis, will significantly count.