Sarah Ferguson to keep her Duchess title—despite ex-husband Prince Andrew losing his royal patronages

Sarah Ferguson will keep her Duchess of York title, despite Prince Andrew being stripped of his HRH title this week.

• Sarah Ferguson has held the title of Duchess of York since she married Prince Andrew
• Despite giving up his royal patronages this week she will still be known as a Duchess
• In other royal news, Prince Harry and Meghan's intimate call with Kate Middleton revealed

Earlier this week the Queen released a statement to say that Prince Andrew's 'military affiliations and Royal patronages' have been returned to her, confirming he will no longer use a HRH title.

The decision came after the news was confirmed that the former prince would face a civil trial over sex abuse allegations, related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

However, Sarah Ferguson, who uses her Duchess title on her Twitter handle and for public engagements, won't lose her title.

Talking to the Daily Mail, one of her friends said, "That has been her title since their divorce and that is how it will stay. Andrew is still the Duke of York, so it is not an issue."

Prince Eugenie and Beatrice, daughters of Prince Andrew, will also keep their titles. While it is thought Sarah Ferguson would only have to give her title back if she was to remarry. 

Another friend told the Daily Mail, "Sarah has absolutely no intention of shrinking away from the limelight. Why should she? She and her daughters have done nothing wrong and they believe Andrew 100 percent that he has done nothing wrong either."

The couple, The Duke and Duchess of York, have remained close friends since their divorce in 1992 and are regularly seen at public engagements together, such as Ascot, with their daughters. 

The Duke of York and his ex-wife, the Duchess of York, were married for 10 years. The former couple wed in 1986, but sadly divorced in 1996 after welcoming their two children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

Sarah and Andrew have spoken previously about how important it was to them to maintain a tight family unit. Speaking to Hello! magazine, Sarah said, “A table can’t stand on three legs, really. So you have the Duke and I, and the two girls. We’re a family unit and we lead by example.

“We support each other emotionally and we support each other health-wise. At least every two weeks we sit down and communicate, the four of us.”