Sarah Ferguson Updates Social Media Profiles Following Prince Andrew's Decision to Relinquish Royal Titles
Following Prince Andrew's decision to relinquish his royal titles, his former wife Sarah Ferguson has made changes to her social media profiles. The Duchess of York has removed her title from her Instagram handle, switching from "@SarahTheDuchess" to "@sarahMFergie15." However, her Instagram username, "@SarahFerguson15," remains unchanged. It is understood that she will now use the name Sarah Ferguson professionally across all platforms.
Similarly, Prince Andrew's official page on the royal family's website has been updated to reflect his decision to no longer use his Duke of York title. The biography still contains references to his previous title, including details about his service in the Royal Navy. Despite their divorce in 1996, Sarah Ferguson retained her Duchess of York title after separating from Prince Andrew in 1992. The couple has maintained an amicable relationship, co-parenting their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie while residing together at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Sarah Ferguson has been supportive of Prince Andrew, especially during the scrutiny of his association with Jeffrey Epstein, which led to his withdrawal from public royal duties in 2019. In a 2023 interview on Good Morning Britain, she defended Andrew's character and called for the focus to shift away from him. The recent decision by Prince Andrew to distance himself from his royal titles follows renewed criticism of his and Fergie's connections to Epstein, who faced legal charges related to conspiracy and sex trafficking before his death in 2019.
Charities have cut ties with Sarah Ferguson after an email from 2011 surfaced, where she praised Epstein as a friend. Despite this, sources close to the family deny any direct involvement with Epstein, with reports indicating that Beatrice and Eugenie never met him. The controversy surrounding Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's connections to Epstein continues to attract media attention, prompting them to make changes to their public profiles and titles.