Sarah Ferguson has removed ‘the Duchess of York’ from her social media handles.
The move comes after it was announced that Prince Andrew would no longer use his royal titles amid the ongoing scandal around his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Now, Fergie, who was divorced from Andrew in 1996 after being married for a decade, has also removed the Duchess of York title from her X account, changing her handle from @SarahTheDuchess to @sarahMFergie15. Her Instagram handle remains @SarahFerguson15.
Sarah’s decision to remove the title from her social media accounts comes just days after royal correspondent Phil Dampier told Woman’s Day she was “on the edge of a nervous breakdown”.
“I’m told she has been on the edge of a nervous breakdown,” he revealed in his new Woman’s Day column. “I can reveal her older sister Jane has recently flown over from Australia to comfort her in the UK.”
Last week, the 65-year-old brother of King Charles announced he would no longer use his royal titles or honours after a “family discussion”.
“In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” he said in an official statement by Buckingham Palace.
“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life,” the statement continued. “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me.
“As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
It’s believed the decision was made alongside both King Charles and Prince William, and other members of the royal family.
The announcement was made just days before the release of the posthumous memoir penned by the Prince’s accuser Virginia Giuffre, who ended her own life earlier this year.
After the news was announced, the palace updated the royal family’s official website to reflect the change and removed ‘Duke of York’ from Prince Andrew’s title. However, the Prince’s biography is yet to be updated and still refers to him as the ‘Duke of York’.
The page includes a statement about Prince Andrew’s decision to step back from royal duties in 2022 but it is yet to include a statement about his decision to stop using his royal titles and honours.
He also revealed how a friend of Sarah’s told him, “Sarah is in a bad way and it’s hardly surprising. She and Andrew know they are to blame but they still feel they are now being kicked mercilessly when they are down. It’s difficult to see what the future holds.”
Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice, was released this week.
The 41-year-old ended her own life earlier this year following years of fighting for justice after she alleged Prince Andrew had sex with her on three seperate occasions when she was just 17 years old.
Her memoir includes the claim Andrew viewed sleeping with her when she was just a teenager as his “birthright”.
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