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

Fergie's Title Change

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

For Ferguson, 66, the transition will be the most apparent.

For all these years, she has maintained the honorary royal post-marital designation 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 certainly utilizes the title – even her Twitter bio is @SarahTheDuchess."

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

Recently, several charities removed her as patron after correspondence from over a decade ago revealed that she called Epstein her "supreme friend" and seemed to apologise for her negative comments of him.

Business Ventures and Charity Work

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

And these ventures, are more likely to be affected by the Epstein controversy than any change in title, notes one royal commentator.

But Ferguson has been a remarkable endure in royal circles. She's kept bouncing back.

"She's the ultimate survivor and master of reinvention," commented one monarchy writer.

The Princesses

For the couple's two daughters, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, there's no formal change.

They continue to be known as royal princesses, which they have been entitled to since their birth.

Additionally there is no modification 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 place in that order.

But in practice their standing are "low down" and will likely become much further down as time goes on.

Future Prospects

The princesses 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 world" in which they would advance into royal duties.

"As far as Beatrice and Eugenie are concerned, I think there's an understanding of the reality that this scandal isn't about them, and it's not fair for it to impact them personally in the separate paths they are carving out for themselves," says one monarchy analyst.

"Their daughters are particularly unlucky victims, they've had to endure quietly and have been dignified in their reserve," states another royal author.

Ultimate Consequences

In the end, there appears to be minimal uncertainty that the person who will be most affected by these developments will be the Duke himself.

For a man who consistently enjoyed the trappings of royalty, the ceremony and the pageantry, the relinquishment of his honors is deeply humiliating.

So to not have these, on a individual basis, will really matter.