🔗 Share this article Foolishness and Monarchical Hubris Damaged Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet It all began with a single photograph, arguably the most consequential ever taken of a member of the monarchy. In the frame appeared the Duke of York, arm-in-arm a female youth, while another individual beamed conspiratorially in the background. Absent that image, shot at a social event in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the assertions of a teenager who said she was trafficked across the ocean and obliged to have cursory relations with a prince of the royal bloodline? An odd, revealing move by someone who had publicly asserted to have not been aware of her, claimed he could not have had sex with her, and yet paid millions of monarchical money to resolve a long-delayed legal case. A Long Period of Controversy In this context, discussions of the monarchy acting decisively to cut Andrew off are wide of the mark. This affair has persisted for the better part of 15 years since that picture, and an additional photo of Andrew strolling amiably with a disgraced financier surfaced. Hubris: For what duration did his brothers and sisters, maybe even his relatives, know that Andrew was so arrogant? Dubious Friendships: They must have known, if his employees and the law enforcement were performing their duties, that he had some extremely unsavory friends given he publicly hosted them to royal residences. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the monarchy did not know about his personal conduct, they certainly knew about his overspending with taxpayer funds. Travel were listed in official documents: chopper flights from the royal residence to a golf course and back again in time for midday meal, chartered planes instead of scheduled services, all for the benefit of "Airmiles Andy". Existence of Entitlement Furthermore the entitlement which required deference when he entered a room or the profound obsession about his designations used on his correspondence in messages to his personal acquaintances. He could get away with it while his parent, who unaccountably indulged him, was still surviving. The Queen did at least revoke him of royal responsibilities and ceremonial ranks in the consequence of his catastrophic and, it is now clear, mendacious public statement six years ago. Latest Events Merely in the last fortnight that events progressed rapidly, following the publication of books giving more disturbing details of his behavior and that of his connections. Additional revelations have again highlighted Andrew's assumption that he could get away with being untruthful about his interaction with a convicted criminal. The public (and the press) were far ahead of the monarchy. There was nobody of any consequence to defend him, a result of all those years of arrogance. Monarchical Concerns The wiser family members understood that. The key objective is to transfer the monarchy, if not as heretofore at least complete and unblemished. Over time the last 190 years trying to overcome the legacy of earlier rulers, proving they are valuable, accountable and attentive to their people. Andrew was putting all that in jeopardy in an era when submission and privacy is no longer adequate. The Fallout Finally, the famously hesitant sovereign was pressured more. There was no other option. The palace had surrendered command of the account. Currently the loss of designations and the ongoing and life-long social disgrace that will pain Andrew most deeply. Downgrading: Lowered to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor Prior Instance: The first monarch to surrender his titles in modern times Naval Career: Especially hurtful given his duty in the engagement He is still a counsellor of state, on paper able to substitute for the king, and he is still eighth in line to the crown, but not any of these will actually come to pass. Coming Developments Do individuals he meets still acknowledge him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Your Highness? Will they even say Mr, Naturally, he is not withdrawing to an ordinary town, but to the monarchy's large property at Sandringham. At that location, he will be provided by the monarch with one of the estate properties and given some type of personal stipend. It is not his former home, where he paid a minimal payment for more than 20 years, and the county is a bit distant, but even so it may not be adequate distance. Unresolved Issues Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the custody of overseas authorities to be revealed. Parliamentary Interest: Could parliament seek further action Financial Investigation: Or investigate the waste of public money Judicial Potential: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his conduct Maybe for the present the institutional damage to the monarchy is contained. The narrative from the royal household was evidently that the removal of designations was what the king, and especially other senior family members, sought. A Shift in Position No more illusion that Andrew was doing it voluntarily. And, notably, the brief statement showed clearly that the royals were aligning with the complainant's account of incidents. Even more, for the premiere occasion they finally showed consideration for the survivors: "The censures are considered essential, despite the reality that he persists in refuting the accusations against him." Finally it is presumption, selfishness and laziness that will destroy the institution. In his folly, personal excess and corruption, Andrew appears never to have learned that reality.