Prince Andrew's Duke of York title has been scrubbed from the royal family's website, and Sarah Ferguson has changed her X username in the wake of the pair losing their titles. Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah will no longer be referred to as the Duke and Duchess of York after the Prince relinquished his titles on 17 October. Prior to Friday's announcement, Sarah Ferguson's X (formerly known as Twitter) handle was 'SarahTheDuchess'. However, now, her handle is 'sarahMFergie15'. Similarly, mentions of Andrew that previously referred to him as the Duke of York have been scrubbed and now simply address him as 'Prince Andrew'.
The subtle update comes days after Buckingham Palace released an urgent statement on Friday evening. The statement reads: "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.
"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. 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."
The decision was in response to weeks of unearthed emails between him and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which were reported by the media. The Mail on Sunday and The Sun reported that in one such email, the Prince wrote to Mr Epstein: "I'm just as concerned for you! Don't worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon!!!!"
Despite losing her title, a source told HELLO! that Sarah is comfortable with her ex's decision. "She will always support her former husband's decisions and do anything for the King. For her this will not make a big difference," the source said.
Sarah has also been implicated in the same email leaks that involved her ex-husband, one of which reportedly sees her refer to Mr Epstein as a "supreme friend". Sarah's email, which was first reported by The Sun and the Mail on Sunday, was sent just weeks after she had publicly distanced herself from the disgraced financier.
"As you know I did not, absolutely not, say the P word about you," Sarah wrote, as per The Sun. "And I must humbly apologise to you and your heart for that. You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family." Her email continued: "I am apologising to you today for not replying to your email or reaching out to you. I was bedridden with fear. I was paralysed."