How the Duke's Removal of Titles Means for Fergie, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie
The Duke's removal from the final remnants of monarchical duties has not only altered his path - it's creating waves through his immediate relatives too.
Sarah Ferguson's Title Change
His ex-wife has now surrendered her ducal status and will simply be known as Sarah Ferguson.
For Ferguson, sixty-six, the transition will be the most visible.
For all these years, she has maintained the honorary royal post-marital designation Sarah, York Duchess. Currently, she returns to her maiden name of Ferguson.
"She will have lost a certain prestige over this," said one monarchy expert. "She certainly utilizes 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, multiple organizations removed her as ambassador after an email from 2011 revealed that she called Epstein her "supreme friend" and seemed to apologise for her public criticism of him.
Professional Endeavors and Philanthropy
Separate from her philanthropy, Ferguson also has various business ventures.
And these ventures, are more likely to be affected by the Epstein scandal than any change in title, notes one royal commentator.
But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in royal circles. She's kept recovering strongly.
"She is the supreme perseverer and expert at transforming," said one royal author.
The Daughters
For Andrew and Sarah's offspring, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, thirty-five, there's no formal change.
They will still be referred to as princesses, which they have been entitled to since birth.
Additionally there is no modification to the royal succession order.
Andrew remains eighth in line to the crown, followed by his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position respectively.
But in practice their positions are "low down" and will probably become much further down as time goes on.
Coming Opportunities
Beatrice and Eugenie are also currently non-working 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 step up into official responsibilities.
"Regarding Beatrice and Eugenie go, I think there's an appreciation of the fact that this scandal isn't about them, and it's not fair for it to impact them directly in the independent lives they are carving out for themselves," explains one royal commentator.
"Their daughters are most unfortunate affected parties, they've had to endure quietly and have been composed in their reserve," adds another royal author.
Final Impact
Ultimately, there seems to be little doubt that the person who will be most affected by these developments will be Prince Andrew himself.
For someone who consistently enjoyed the royal privileges, the ceremony and the pageantry, the loss of his titles is profoundly embarrassing.
Therefore lacking those, on a individual basis, will really matter.