A number of charities have distanced themselves from Sarah, Duchess of York after an apology email to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, in which she described him as a “supreme friend,” was unearthed by The Sun. The message was sent to the sex offender in April 2011, just weeks after she gave an interview in which she publicly disowned him.
The ex-wife of the Duke of York has faced many ups and downs since her divorce from Prince Andrew in 1996. While she is no longer a member of the royal family, she is still known as Sarah, Duchess of York, which is the customary styling for former wives of peers. A divorced royal wife can keep her courtesy title by placing her first name before it, like in the case of Princess Diana, who became Diana, Princess of Wales, after her divorce from Prince Charles.
© GettySarah used her courtesy title since her divorce, just like Diana did
However, former wives of members of the royal family lose the style of Her Royal Highness (HRH) after a divorce. On 21 August 1996, the late Queen Elizabeth II issued a new letters patent to address the issue of HRH stylings after a divorce. The statement from Buckingham Palace at the time read: “The Queen has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 21st August 1996 to declare that a former wife (other than a widow until she shall remarry) of a son of a Sovereign of these Realms, of a son of a son of a Sovereign and of the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales shall not be entitled to hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of Royal Highness.”
© GettySarah and Andrew married in 1986, but had separated by 1992
Therefore, this meant that both Diana and Sarah lost their HRH stylings, but retained their courtesy titles. A peerage can only be removed from a title holder by an Act of Parliament.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s royal titles
While the Duke of York no longer uses his HRH style in an official capacity after stepping back from royal duties in 2019, his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are still entitled to be styled Her Royal Highness.
© Dave Benett/Getty ImagesBeatrice and Eugenie use the style HRH
Both princesses have carved out their own full-time careers, with Beatrice working for tech firm, Afiniti, and Eugenie a director at Hauser & Wirth art gallery. Beatrice married property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020, and the pair share daughters, Sienna, four, and eight-month-old Athena. Eugenie has been married to Jack Brooksbank since 2018, and the couple have sons, August, four, and Ernest, two.