Sarah Ferguson can no longer refer to herself as the Duchess of York after Prince Andrew gives up his titles

She has been known as the Duchess of York for nearly 40 years but Sarah Ferguson lost her prized royal title on Friday after her ex-husband Prince Andrew agreed to give up his own title.

The prince’s decision was made after intense pressure from King Charles and discussions with other family members, including heir to the throne Prince William, as well as Andrew’s other siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.

Andrew will also relinquish his position as Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and the Order of the Garter.

The late Queen Elizabeth II Because he was born as the son of Elizabeth, he retained the title of prince.

His and Fergie’s children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will also retain their titles, thanks to their grandmother.

Fergie, who only received the royal title through her marriage, will now be known simply as Sarah Ferguson in any official capacity.

The title of Duchess of York was the only link Fergie maintained with the Royal Family after she divorced Andrew in 1996 and ceased to be Her Royal Highness.

Despite their divorce, the couple continued to live together and will remain at the luxury 30-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor despite tonight’s announcement.

Last night, Buckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of the prince, in which he made clear that he continues to deny sexual assault allegations against him by the late Virginia Giuffre, whom he met through pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

But she acknowledged that ongoing revelations about her dealings with Epstein were a “distraction” from the good work of the Royal Family, The Mail reported on Sunday.

Fergie’s relationship with Epstein also came under scrutiny after a newly uncovered 2011 email revealed she called pedophile Jeffrey Epstein a ‘superior friend’.

Since the email, which included a private apology for Fergie’s public disavowal of Epstein, was made public, several charities have removed the duchess as a patron.

This is just the latest headline-grabbing controversy involving the former Duchess of York.

Perhaps best known was a photo of her lying on a sun lounger in St Tropez as she kissed and sucked the toes of Texan millionaire John Bryan.

These intimate images remain some of the most embarrassing photos of a royal family ever made public.

Virginia Giuffre photographed with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell in London in 2001

Last weekend the MoS exclusively revealed that Andrew had clearly lied when he claimed he never contacted Epstein again after his ‘last’ meeting in December 2010.

It has also been revealed that Andrew met with the alleged Chinese spy at the center of the current Whitehall spy case on at least three occasions.

Sources told the Daily Mail that things came to a head this week after ‘constant new allegations’ of MoS email disclosures proving to be ‘the major problem’. The changes will come into force immediately and have been decided taking into account the fact that the prince’s personal problems remain an ‘unwelcome distraction’ from the affairs of the wider Royal Family.

However, the King acknowledged that he could not legally force Andrew out of his home at Royal Lodge, and that he would continue to stay there as long as he could afford the rent.

The prince has an exclusive lease with the Crown Estate for more than 100 years, which is said to be ‘unaffected’ by issues surrounding his honors and titles.

The prince’s titles are ‘suspended’ rather than stripped; effectively remaining ‘present but inactive’.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at Royal Ascot in June 2016

Andrew and Charles at Westminster Cathedral last month after the Duchess of Kent’s funeral

It appears that part of the king’s consideration was to avoid wasting parliamentary time by formally revoking titles. Any move to do this would require an Act of Parliament.

12 weeks after the meeting in which Andrew contacted the sex offender, the day after a photo of the prince with Ms Giuffre was published, she obtained emails sent to reassure him that “we are in this together” and that we must “get through this”.

Andrew concluded ad nauseam: ‘Otherwise stay in close contact and we’ll play some more soon!!!’ A knight of the Order of the Garter, he was signed ‘A, HRH The Duke of York, KG’.

Virginia Giuffre’s family members said in a statement: ‘We, the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, believe that Prince Andrew’s decision to renounce his titles is a vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere. This decisive action is a strong step forward in our fight to bring Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex trafficking network to justice.

‘We also believe it is appropriate for King Charles to remove the title of Prince.

‘This moment serves as a victory for Virginia, who constantly says, ‘She knows what happened, I know what happened, and only one of us is telling the truth and I know it’s me.’

‘This is a victory not just for him, but for all the survivors of the horrific crimes committed by Epstein and his collaborators.

‘The publication of recent emails between Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein, particularly an email sent in early 2011, just after the publication of a photograph of Virginia, Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell, raises serious questions about the nature of their relationship.

‘In this email Prince Andrew wrote comments ‘we are in this together’ and ‘we will be playing more soon’; These comments further confirm the truths that Virginia has been talking about for a long time. This evidence completely contradicts Prince Andrew’s claims in a 2018 BBC interview in which he stated that he cut off all contact with Epstein in 2010.

‘Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to promoting underage prostitution. These emails not only highlight Prince Andrew’s contradictory statements, but also reveal a disturbing willingness to deviate from the truth and evade accountability. His actions and words indicate a belief that he can escape the consequences of his associations.

‘We hope that the days of impunity for the powerful will be over and protection of predators will no longer be tolerated. We hope that a higher standard is set for our leaders serving in the United States; We will work tirelessly to follow up here. ‘It’s time for accountability, transparency and justice for survivors.’