Sarah Ferguson was reported to have stopped using the style Duchess of York after her former husband, Andrew, announced on 17 October 2025 that he would no longer use his titles and honours. Her reported change in usage is distinct from the later formal steps concerning Andrew: those steps did not constitute a separate legal removal of a title from Ferguson.
What changed for Sarah Ferguson?
After Andrew’s announcement, news reports said Ferguson would stop using Duchess of York. Subsequent reporting described her public-facing references changing to Sarah Ferguson. That describes reported usage; the sources do not identify a separate formal instrument removing a title from Ferguson. Associated Press reported the change on 17 October 2025, and E! News reported on her social-media references on 21 October 2025.
The distinction matters because Andrew’s announcement, the Palace’s later statement and the subsequent parliamentary record describe different stages in the handling of his titles and honours—not a separate title-removal process for Ferguson.
What happened, and when?
| Date | Event | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| 17 October 2025 | Andrew’s statement | Andrew said he would no longer use his title or honours. The statement announced non-use; it did not say all titles had already been legally removed. The Royal Family published the statement. |
| 17 October 2025 | Reports about Ferguson | Associated Press reported she would also stop using Duchess of York. This is reported cessation of use, not a separate formal act concerning Ferguson. |
| 30 October 2025; published 31 October | Buckingham Palace announcement | The Palace said a formal process had begun regarding Andrew’s titles and honours, that he would be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, and that formal notice had been served for him to surrender the Royal Lodge lease. It said Ferguson would make her own living arrangements; that statement does not establish her current residence. Read the Palace statement. |
| 17 November 2025 | Parliamentary written answer | The answer states that Andrew’s Prince and HRH styles were removed by Letters Patent and that the Duke of York title was removed from the Roll of the Peerage and would no longer be used officially. Read the written answer. |
Why did Ferguson use the style after her divorce?
Ferguson and Andrew divorced in 1996, but she continued to be styled Sarah, Duchess of York afterward, according to the House of Commons Library. Its briefing explains the historical context and distinguishes an individual’s decision not to use a title from formal changes to titles. Read the Commons Library briefing on the removal of titles and honours.
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What Andrew’s announcement did—and did not—mean
In his 17 October statement, Andrew wrote: “I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me.” The wording announced his decision not to use them. It was followed by the Palace’s announcement of a formal process and, later, the parliamentary record of formal changes. Those subsequent steps concern Andrew; they should not be described as a separate statutory removal of Ferguson’s style.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did their daughters lose their princess titles?
Associated Press reported that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie retained their princess titles. The reported change in Ferguson’s use of Duchess of York did not, on the evidence cited here, alter their styles.
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