What Will Happen To Sarah Ferguson After Prince Andrew Gives Up His Titles?

In a statement published by Sky News on October 17, 2025, Prince Andrew announced he will give up most of his titles, including the Duke of York, amid continuing accusations of sexual assault and other misconduct. "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," the statement read, in part. "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." 

Deadline reported that the decision comes days before the posthumous memoir from alleged Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein, and Donald Trump victim Virginia Giuffre is released on October 21, 2025. The third child of Queen Elizabeth II will keep the title of "Prince," which was given to him at birth. He hasn't been formally stripped of any titles or his HRH, but he will no longer use them. Prince Andrew ended the statement by denying all allegations against him. In her memoir, Giuffre alleges she was told by convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell that she would be paid $15,000 for having sex with Prince Andrew. The Prince couldn't get Giuffre's 2021 lawsuit dismissed, but settled with her in 2022 by making donations to several charities. Giuffre died on April 25, 2025, in an apparent suicide, per Deadline.

Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, still used the title Duchess of York as of October 17, but Sky News reported that "it is understood" that she will drop it. The couple's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will reportedly keep their royal titles.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson married in 1986 and separated in 1992 before their divorce was finalized in 1996. However, she retained the title of Duchess of York. Despite their divorce, the pair have remained close co-parents through the years and were even seen together at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent on September 16, 2025. That month, The Times of London reported that King Charles no longer wanted his younger brother at gatherings and had asked for Ferguson's help to keep Prince Andrew away from the upcoming royal Christmas celebrations.

In 2011, when asked about her and Prince Andrew's alleged involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, Ferguson apologized for her past financial ties to Epstein and denounced his alleged behavior to The Evening Standard, saying, "I abhor pedophilia and any sexual abuse of children (via Vanity Fair)." Although she carefully talks around allegations against Prince Andrew, she alluded to the troubles in Vogue Arabia in 2019 and stood by her ex-husband. "To see such a wonderful man go through such enormous pain. He is the best man I know," she reportedly said when asked about Epstein and Prince Andrew's struggles via Town & Country. "It's just incredible what he has done for Britain, and it's all nonsense." She is said to have become particularly animated when indirectly referencing her ex-husband's ties to Epstein in the interview, adding, "So I talk about familyhood, and I'm very strong about it."