🔗 Share this article Foolishness and Regal Arrogance Sunk Andrew, and It Might Persist Yet This episode commenced with a single photograph, possibly the most impactful ever taken of a individual from the royal household. There stood the Baron Killyleagh, arm-in-arm a young woman, while an associate beamed knowingly in the backdrop. Absent that photograph, shot at a party in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the assertions of a adolescent who declared she was transported across the Atlantic and obliged to have brief relations with a prince of the royal family? An odd, telling gesture by someone who had openly claimed to have not heard of her, claimed he could never have had sex with her, and yet handed over a substantial sum of monarchical resources to settle a drawn-out lawsuit. A Long Period of Controversy Against this backdrop, discussions of the monarchy acting swiftly to distance themselves from Andrew are inaccurate. This controversy has endured for the majority of 15 years since that photograph, and a further image of Andrew strolling congenially with a disgraced financier emerged. Hubris: For what duration did his family members, possibly even his parents, realize that Andrew was so self-entitled? Questionable Associations: They must have realized, if his aides and the law enforcement were performing their duties, that he had some extremely unsavory companions given he openly hosted them to royal residences. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the monarchy did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his overspending with taxpayer funds. Trips were printed in official documents: helicopter flights from the estate to a country club and back again in time for lunch, exclusive air travel instead of commercial flights, all for the comfort of "Airmiles Andy". World of Deference Then there was the presumption which required subservience when he walked into a space or the profound awareness about his royal titles used on his official documents in communication to his friends. He managed to escape consequences while his matriarch, who inexplicably spoiled him, was still living. The Queen did at least remove him of royal responsibilities and honorary colonelcies in the aftermath of his disastrous and, as revealed, mendacious public statement six years ago. Recent Developments It was only in the last two weeks that events accelerated, following the release of books giving more troubling details of his actions and that of his associates. More information have again highlighted Andrew's assumption that he could avoid lying about his contact with a notorious figure. Society (and the press) were far more perceptive of the monarchy. There was no one of any consequence to speak up for him, a outcome of all those years of arrogance. Monarchical Concerns The more intelligent royals recognized that. The key objective is to pass on the crown, if not as previously at least whole and unstained. For generations the last 190 years trying to overcome the reputation of past sovereigns, showing they are valuable, accountable and reactive to their citizens. Andrew was putting all that in jeopardy in an age when deference and secrecy is no longer enough. The Fallout Eventually, the famously uncertain monarch was pushed more. There was little choice. The institution had relinquished authority of the story. Presently the loss of designations and the ongoing and lifetime social disgrace that will afflict Andrew most severely. Demotion: Reduced to just a private citizen Historical Precedent: The first royal to forfeit his honorifics in recent history Armed Forces: Notably hurtful given his role in the Falklands war He continues to be a royal advisor, in principle able to stand in for the monarch, and he is still in the succession to the crown, but none of these will actually occur. Coming Developments Do individuals he meets still show respect to him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Prince? Might they say Sir, Of course, he is not moving to suburbia, but to the royal family's vast property at Sandringham. In that place, he will be furnished by the king with one of the royal residences and given some form of private allowance. This differs from his previous residence, where he paid a token lease for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit distant, but even so it may not be adequate distance. Unresolved Issues Matters remain unresolved. There are still files in the possession of US Congress to be made public. Governmental Scrutiny: Will parliament request additional information Fiscal Review: Or scrutinize the misuse of taxpayer funds Criminal Investigation: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his actions Perhaps for the present the harm to the monarchy to the monarchy is restricted. The message from the royal household was clearly that the revocation of honorifics was what the monarch, and especially other senior royals, wanted. Altered Approach No more deception that Andrew was acting willingly. And, notably, the concise communication showed evidently that the royals were siding with the complainant's narrative of incidents. Furthermore, for the premiere occasion they eventually showed regard for the victims: "The measures are deemed necessary, despite the fact that he persists in refuting the allegations against him." In the end it is arrogance, selfishness and inactivity that will destroy the institution. In his folly, self-indulgence and venality, Andrew gives the impression never to have learned that truth.