🔗 Share this article Folly and Royal Self-Entitlement Sunk Andrew, and It May Not Be Over Yet The saga started with a isolated photograph, perhaps the most consequential ever snapped of a individual from the royal household. Present was the Duke of York, with his arm around a female youth, while an associate smiled knowingly in the rear. Lacking that image, captured at a party in 2001, who would have believed the claims of a young woman who declared she was moved across the ocean and forced to have brief relations with a prince of the monarchy? A strange, indicative gesture by someone who had publicly asserted to have not been aware of her, claimed he could never have had intimate contact with her, and yet handed over millions of his mother's money to settle a protracted court action. Over a Decade of Disgrace In this context, conversations of the royal family acting firmly to sever ties with Andrew are wide of the mark. This controversy has persisted for the better part of 15 years since that photograph, and an additional image of Andrew strolling pleasantly with a convicted sex offender surfaced. Self-importance: How long did his family members, perhaps even his mother and father, understand that Andrew was so presumptuous? Problematic Connections: They must have understood, if his aides and the police were doing their jobs, that he had some deeply disreputable companions given he unabashedly hosted them to palaces. Monetary Excess: If the monarchy did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his overspending with taxpayer funds. Journeys were documented in public records: helicopter transfers from the estate to a sporting venue and back again in time for dining, exclusive air travel instead of scheduled services, all for the comfort of "the travel enthusiast". World of Deference Additionally the arrogance which required subservience when he appeared in a space or the profound awareness about his royal titles used on his official documents in letters to his friends. He managed to escape consequences while his mother, who inexplicably pampered him, was still surviving. The monarch did at least remove him of public duties and ceremonial ranks in the aftermath of his catastrophic and, it is now clear, mendacious media appearance six years ago. Recent Developments Just in the last two weeks that events progressed rapidly, following the release of accounts giving more troubling details of his behavior and that of his associates. More information have again revealed Andrew's belief that he could avoid deceiving about his interaction with a convicted criminal. Society (and the press) were far ahead of the royal family. There was no one of any consequence to support him, a outcome of all those years of arrogance. Royal Worries The more astute family members realized that. The key objective is to hand down the crown, if not as heretofore at least intact and untarnished. For generations the last 190 years trying to overcome the image of past sovereigns, demonstrating they are valuable, accountable and responsive to their citizens. Andrew was putting all that in jeopardy in an time when submission and discretion is no longer enough. Consequences Ultimately, the famously uncertain king was pushed further. There was little choice. The palace had lost control of the story. Presently the stripping of honorifics and the persistent and lifetime social disgrace that will pain Andrew the most. Demotion: Lowered to just a private citizen Historical Precedent: The initial royal to lose his designations in recent history Military Service: Particularly painful given his duty in the conflict He remains a royal advisor, theoretically able to stand in for the sovereign, and he is still eighth in line to the throne, but not any of these will ever happen. What Lies Ahead Do individuals he meets still acknowledge him? Could they still make mistakes and call him Your Highness? Might they say Andrew, Naturally, he is not moving to suburbia, but to the monarchy's extensive property at a royal residence. At that location, he will be supplied by the sovereign with one of the royal residences and given some form of personal stipend. This differs from his former home, where he paid a token lease for more than 20 years, and the county is a bit distant, but even so it may not be adequate distance. Unresolved Issues This is not over. There are still files in the custody of overseas authorities to be made public. Parliamentary Interest: Might legislators request additional information Monetary Probe: Or investigate the improper use of public money Judicial Potential: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his conduct Possibly for the time being the reputational impact to the crown is contained. The message from the institution was clearly that the removal of designations was what the sovereign, and notably other senior family members, wanted. A Shift in Position No more pretence that Andrew was acting willingly. And, remarkably, the brief announcement showed evidently that the royals were supporting the victim's account of events. Additionally, for the first time they finally showed regard for the affected individuals: "The measures are deemed necessary, despite the reality that he persists in refuting the accusations against him." Ultimately it is arrogance, selfishness and indolence that will kill the crown. In his foolishness, personal excess and corruption, Andrew gives the impression never to have grasped that truth.