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British Royals

Back to Sarah Ferguson: how Prince Andrew’s decision to give up his titles affects his former wife

By
17th October 2025
Sarah Ferguson walks to church at Sandringham

Prince Andrew is giving up the use of all his titles and it’s already impacting those around him.

The King’s brother will no longer be known as the Duke of York and that means a change for his former wife.

Since their divorce in 1996, she’s been known as Sarah, Duchess of York.

Now she will revert to her maiden name and be called Sarah Ferguson.

The decision comes as Andrew relinquished his right to royal titles after further damaging allegations about his friendship with the convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement from Buckingham Palace, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip said that ”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.”

Andrew continued ”“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 honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

He had already given up the use of his HRH. However, as the son of a Monarch he remains a prince although whether he will use this or not remains to be seen.

He has also relinquished his membership of the Order of the Garter, the oldest chivalric honour in the country.

As the announcement was made, it was confirmed that his former wife would now be known as Sarah Ferguson.

Following her divorce, she lost her HRH and went from being The Duchess of York to Sarah, Duchess of York following the issuing of Letters Patents by Queen Elizabeth II.

It’s understood that the titles of Andrew and Sarah’s two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are unaffected.

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About author

Lydia Starbuck is Editor in Chief at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra.Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024.June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station.June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.