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The Duke's exit from the last vestiges of monarchical duties has not only reshaped his future - it's creating waves through his family too.

Sarah Ferguson's New Status

The former spouse has now surrendered her ducal status and will now be referred to as Sarah Ferguson.

For Ferguson, sixty-six, the change will be the most apparent.

Throughout this period, she has kept the courtesy royal divorcee title Sarah, York Duchess. Now, she returns to her birth name of Ferguson.

"She has lost a certain prestige over this," said one royal commentator. "She definitely utilizes the title – including her Twitter bio is @TheDuchessSarah."

But the loss of her title may affect her much less than the scandal she's dealing with independently about her own links with Jeffrey Epstein.

Recently, several charities dropped her as ambassador after correspondence from over a decade ago showed that she referred to Epstein her "supreme friend" and appeared to express regret for her public criticism of him.

Business Ventures and Philanthropy

Separate from her philanthropy, Ferguson also has various business ventures.

And these, too, are more likely to be affected by the Epstein controversy than any alteration in status, says one monarchy analyst.

But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in royal circles. She has continued recovering strongly.

"She is the ultimate survivor and master of reinvention," said one monarchy writer.

The Princesses

For the couple's offspring, Beatrice, thirty-seven, and Eugenie, 35, there's no formal change.

They will still be referred to as princesses, which they have been granted since their birth.

There is also no change to the royal succession order.

The prince stays eighth in line to the crown, succeeded by his children Beatrice and Eugenie, in ninth and twelfth position in that order.

But in practice their positions are "distant" and will probably become even more remote as years pass.

Future Prospects

Beatrice and Eugenie are also presently non-official royals, and while they occasionally take on roles – Princess Eugenie was recently named as a mentor for the King's Foundation program – experts also suggest they "don't envision a scenario" in which they would step up into official responsibilities.

"As far as Beatrice and Eugenie are concerned, I think there's an appreciation of the fact that this controversy isn't about them, and it's unjust for it to affect them directly in the independent lives they are carving out for themselves," says one monarchy analyst.

"The princesses are particularly unlucky affected parties, they've had to endure quietly and have been dignified in their reserve," states another royal author.

Ultimate Consequences

In the end, there seems to be minimal uncertainty that the individual who will be most impacted by these developments will be the Duke himself.

For someone who consistently enjoyed the trappings of royalty, the pomp and the pageantry, the relinquishment of his honors is deeply humiliating.

So to not have these, on a personal level, will significantly count.