Sarah Ferguson has been formally stripped of her Freedom of the City of York title in another blow for the former royal.
The ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has already lost her royal title amid mounting scrutiny over her and Andrew’s friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Now, she has been stripped of yet another title after York’s councillors voted unanimously to remove her honour.
Andrew was stripped of his own Freedom of the City of York title in 2022. They were both granted the titles as a wedding present when they visited the city in 1987.
Andrew relinquished his royal titles in October 2025 following conversations with King Charles, which also meant that Sarah lost her own title as the Duchess of York.
While Andrew will remain a Prince due to his lineage, Sarah is no longer able to use her royal title.
Why has Andrew been stripped of his titles?
Andrew had been under increasing pressure over his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with calls for him to be stripped of his titles.
In a statement confirming he would voluntarily hand them back in October, Andrew continued to deny the allegations made against him.
“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.
“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.”
He has also stepped away from his Order of the Garter membership.
Following the news, Sarah made a major change on social media to scrub the word Duchess from her pages.
Her handle on X – formerly known as Twitter – used to be @SarahTheDuchess, but it now reads @sarahMFergie15.
Likewise, her Instagram handle is @sarahferguson15, and her biography makes no reference to her being a former Duchess.
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