- On October 17, Prince Andrew said in a statement that he was relinquishing his Duke of York title, which he had held for over 39 years.
- In turn, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson also gave up her Duchess of York title, which she retained even after their 1996 divorce.
- Within days, Ferguson made a subtle change to her social media to reflect that decision.
On their July 23, 1986 wedding day, Prince Andrew and his bride Sarah Ferguson received the prestigious titles of the Duke and Duchess of York from his mother Queen Elizabeth. The former couple has carried the titles—and used them with aplomb—until Andrew’s shocking announcement on October 17 that he was giving up his title. Ferguson, in turn, gave up hers as well.
Prince Andrew made the announcement on Friday after accusations against him continue to come to light following his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew also carries his own sexual assault allegations from Virginia Giuffre, who tragically died by suicide earlier this year and whose memoir hit shelves on October 21.
Getty Images
In the midst of it all, Ferguson quietly and subtly made a change to her social media handles, changing her name on X from @SarahTheDuchess to @sarahMFergie15. Her Instagram handle, @SarahFerguson15, remains unchanged.
Though Ferguson and Andrew divorced in 1996, she has continued to use her Duchess of York title, though will no longer do so personally or professionally. Ferguson’s social media changeup comes right around the time that the royal family changed its official website to remove Andrew’s Duke of York title on October 20, changing all mentions of the Duke of York to Prince Andrew on his official page, though People reported some mentions of his Duke of York title still made its way into his official biography.
Getty Images
Amid Andrew’s numerous scandals, Ferguson has stood by her ex-husband, whom she cohabitates with in the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge mansion on the Windsor estate. Speaking on Good Morning Britain in 2023, Ferguson said, “With Prince Andrew, he’s such a good man. He’s a kind, good man, and I think the spotlight needs to come off of him and let him get on with his life to rebuild.”
Getty Images
Getty Images
After a disastrous 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, Andrew stepped back from all of his royal patronages and afterwards was no longer a working royal. Last month, several charities severed ties with Ferguson after a 2011 email from her to Epstein surfaced.
