Fergie Finally Confirms if She Also Lost Her Royal Title After Report She & Andrew Could Get ‘Banished’ From the Family
From the moment Prince Andrew announced he would no longer use his titles and honors, the question on everyone’s mind was: what about his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson? Would she still be using the title of Duchess of York even though Andrew was no longer using the title of Duke of York? Now, it seems like we’ve got a clear answer on that, and it came on social media.
Sarah Ferguson has now removed “the Duchess of York” from her social media. People had previously reported that as Andrew gave up his titles, Ferguson would also not use the title going forward. And that change has been reflected on her social media, as she has changed her X handle from “@SarahTheDuchess” to “@sarahMFergie15.” Her Instagram handle remains “@SarahFerguson15.”
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Andrew’s page on the royal family’s official website was also updated, replacing his title with just Prince Andrew. The biography text has not been completely updated, as there are still references to the title in the text.
Queen Elizabeth II originally made her son the Duke of York when he married Fergie in 1986, which made Ferguson the Duchess of York. The two separated in 1992, and divorced in 1996, but Ferguson has retained the title.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Friday, Oct. 17, Prince Andrew stated, “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. 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,” he added. “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
This is reportedly not all, as The Sunday Times reports that Prince William will go even further when he is King, banning Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson from public and private royal events and state occasions, including his coronation. This ban will reportedly not extend to the couple’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Reportedly, this all ties back to the fact that William and his wife, Kate Middleton, are not happy that Prince Andrew is still living at Royal Lodge, which is very close to their new home, Forest Lodge. Royal author Tina Brown said in her Fresh Hell Substack (via the Daily Mail), “Unless Andrew can be persuaded to banish himself to a cottage on the Balmoral estate or a cushy villa on a Dubai golf course, his scowly, jowly visage will keep seeping back into the national consciousness.”
“How do you disappear a 6-foot-tall, 190-pound, 65-year-old man in robust good health who has an iron-clad contract to live in the Queen Mother’s former mansion, a short neigh from Windsor Castle and just four miles from the new “forever” home of Prince William and Kate, who can’t abide him?” she also asked.
Prince William reportedly has plans for that, though perhaps the bigger obstacle that remains is what happens when King Charles dies. “The thornier question, perhaps approaching faster than anyone is indelicate enough to discuss, is whether, in the fullness of time, Andrew will be allowed to attend his brother, the king’s, funeral.”
