Sarah, Duchess of York her divorce on 30 May 1996, she retained the style "Her Royal Highness" with the style of other divorced peeresses, eliminating the preface "The" before "Duchess of York". However, in accordance with letters patent issued in August 1996 regulating post-divorce royal titles, Sarah ceased being a "Royal Highness", as she was no longer married to the Duke of York. Her current name, thus, is "Sarah, Duchess of York". Should she marry again, Sarah would lose the use of the style of "Duchess of York". Since the divorce, Sarah still attends some functions with her daughters, such as the investitures of
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough 20 February 1703. Sarah was heartbroken over the loss of her son and became reclusive for a period, expressing her grief by closing herself off from Anne and either not answering her letters or doing so in a cold and formal manner. However, Sarah did not allow Anne to shut her out when Anne suffered bereavement. After the death of Anne's husband, Prince George of Denmark in 1708, Sarah arrived, uninvited, at Kensington Palace to find Anne with the prince's body. She pressed the heartbroken queen to move from Kensington to St James's Palace in London, which Anne bluntly refused,