What Prince Andrew'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 reshaped his future - it's creating waves through his family too.
Fergie's New Status
The former spouse has now lost her duchess title and will now be referred to as Sarah Ferguson.
For Sarah, sixty-six, the change will be the most apparent.
For all these years, she has kept the courtesy royal post-marital designation Sarah, York Duchess. Currently, she returns to her birth name of Ferguson.
"She will have lost a certain prestige over this," said one royal commentator. "She certainly does use the title – including her Twitter bio is @TheDuchessSarah."
But the relinquishment of her status may impact her much less than the controversy she's dealing with independently about her own connections to the convicted financier.
Last month, several charities removed her as ambassador after correspondence from 2011 showed that she called Epstein her "supreme friend" and appeared to express regret for her negative comments of him.
Business Ventures and Philanthropy
Separate from her philanthropy, Ferguson also has multiple commercial enterprises.
And these ventures, are more probable to be impacted by the Epstein controversy than any alteration in status, says one monarchy analyst.
But Ferguson has been a great survivor in monarchical networks. She has continued bouncing back.
"She is the supreme perseverer and master of reinvention," said one monarchy writer.
The Princesses
For Andrew and Sarah's two daughters, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, thirty-five, there's no official alteration.
They continue to be referred to as royal princesses, which they have been granted since their birth.
There is also no modification to the royal succession order.
Andrew remains eighth in line to the crown, followed by his children Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth place respectively.
But in reality their positions are "low down" and will likely become even more remote as time goes on.
Future Prospects
The princesses are also presently non-working royals, and while they do sometimes accept positions – Princess Eugenie was recently announced as a advisor for the monarch's charity program – experts also suggest they "can't see a scenario" in which they would advance into royal duties.
"As far as Beatrice and Eugenie are concerned, I think there's an understanding of the reality that this scandal isn't about them, and it's not fair for it to affect them personally in the separate paths they are carving out for themselves," says one royal commentator.
"The princesses are most unfortunate victims, they've had to suffer in silence and have been composed in their reserve," adds another monarchy writer.
Ultimate Consequences
Ultimately, there appears to be little doubt that the individual who will be most impacted by all of this will be the Duke himself.
For a man who always liked the royal privileges, the pomp and the ceremony, the loss of his titles is profoundly embarrassing.
So to not have those, on a personal level, will significantly count.