Sarah Ferguson will no longer use the “Duchess of York” title after her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, gave up his royal titles amid his Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
On Friday, Oct. 17, Prince Andrew, 65, the younger brother of King Charles III, 76, released a statement announcing that he was giving up several royal titles.
“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,” a message on the Buckingham Palace website read. “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.”
Prince Andrew continued, “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
In the wake of Prince Andrew relinquishing his royal titles, People reported that Ferguson, 66, will officially drop hers, too. She has used the name “Sarah Ferguson” professionally for years but will now utilize only this moniker in all areas of her life—dropping “Duchess of York” entirely.
The royal and Ferguson were married from 1986 to 1996, during which they welcomed two daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35. Unlike their parents, both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will retain their titles, “Her Royal Highness Princess.”
Prince Andrew’s royal title change came amid his ongoing association with Epstein, who was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and died in jail that same year. In recent weeks, the spotlight on Prince Andrew was renewed as new claims were made in the late Virginia Giuffre‘s memoir, Nobody’s Girl, in which she claimed she was trafficked to Prince Andrew when she was a minor.
Next: Prince William Tears Up in New Video While Sending an Important PSA
