On October 17th, Sarah Ferguson lost her title as the Duchess of York. The ex-wife of Prince Andrew was affected after he willingly resigned from his title as the Duke of York, one that had been passed down from Queen Elizabeth II.
Sarah Ferguson fulfilled the role of Duchess of York for almost 40 years, ever since she married Andrew in 1986. She continued to use her title following her divorce in 1996. Andrew resigned his title willingly after various news outlets discovered email exchanges between himself and the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Still, despite resigning from the Duke of York title, Andrew remains a prince, a title that he was born with. He’s also eight in line to the British throne. In the case of Sarah, things are different for her, considering that she came into the title through marriage.
“In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” said Andrew in a statement. “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life. With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
© Getty Images for Global CitizenThe title of Duke and Duchess of York has a historical meaning for the Royal House. Under current rules, dukedoms are passed down through male-line succession, meaning that the title won’t be passed down to his daughters.
The Daily Beast has reported that various sources close to Prince William claim that he’s planning on removing various princely titles and their “HRH” honorifics from non-working royals. Some of the royals losing the title include Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Prince Harry, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet.
Was Ferguson involved in the Epstein scandal?
© John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty ImagesWhile Prince Andrew remains in the eye of the Epstein scandal, Ferguson has also been impacted by the ordeal. In some emails exchanged between Ferguson and Epstein, she refers to him as a “supreme friend.” According to outlets like The Sun and The Daily Mail, the emails were sent weeks after Ferguson publicly distanced herself from Epstein.
The emails resulted in Ferguson losing her place in six benefit organizations: Julia’s House, The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, Prevent Breast Cancer, The Teenage Cancer Trust, Children’s Literacy Charity, and British Heart Foundation.
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