🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Regal Arrogance Damaged Andrew, and It Might Persist Yet This episode commenced with a solitary photograph, possibly the most significant ever snapped of a individual from the royal household. Present was the Earl of Inverness, arm-in-arm a teenage girl, while another individual smiled knowingly in the backdrop. Absent that image, taken at a social event in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the claims of a adolescent who said she was trafficked across the ocean and obliged to have cursory sexual encounters with a prince of the royal family? A strange, revealing gesture by someone who had openly asserted to have not been aware of her, asserted he could not have had intimate contact with her, and yet provided a large amount of monarchical money to avert a protracted lawsuit. A Long Period of Controversy Considering this, discussions of the royal family acting decisively to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This scandal has endured for the better part of 15 years since that picture, and an additional photo of Andrew ambling congenially with a convicted sex offender emerged. Hubris: For what duration did his brothers and sisters, perhaps even his relatives, understand that Andrew was so self-entitled? Dubious Friendships: They must have realized, if his employees and the authorities were doing their jobs, that he had some deeply disreputable associates given he openly welcomed them to palaces. Monetary Excess: If the family did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with public money. Travel were documented in public records: helicopter travel from the palace to a golf course and back again in time for lunch, chartered planes instead of scheduled services, all for the benefit of "the frequent flyer". World of Deference Additionally the arrogance which expected subservience when he appeared in a area or the profound obsession about his honorifics used on his official documents in letters to his personal acquaintances. He could get away with it while his matriarch, who strangely spoiled him, was still surviving. The monarch did at least revoke him of public duties and military positions in the consequence of his catastrophic and, it is now clear, mendacious public statement six years ago. Recent Developments It was only in the last two weeks that events accelerated, following the publication of biographical works giving more disturbing particulars of his conduct and that of his companions. Additional revelations have again revealed Andrew's belief that he could avoid deceiving about his contact with a convicted criminal. Society (and the media) were far in advance of the royals. There was no one of any significance to defend him, a result of all those years of hubris. Institutional Fears The more astute royals recognized that. The primary concern is to hand down the monarchy, if not as previously at least whole and unblemished. Over time the last 190 years trying to overcome the image of past sovereigns, showing they are beneficial, responsible and attentive to their people. He was placing all that in jeopardy in an era when respect and discretion is no longer sufficient. The Fallout Finally, the famously uncertain king was pushed more. There was no alternative. The palace had lost control of the narrative. Now it is the stripping of titles and the continued and life-long social disgrace that will afflict Andrew the most. Demotion: Demoted to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor Historical Precedent: The primary monarch to forfeit his honorifics in contemporary era Military Service: Notably stinging given his duty in the Falklands war He is still a counsellor of state, on paper able to act for the king, and he is still eighth in line to the monarchy, but neither of these will actually occur. Coming Developments Do individuals he encounters still defer to him? Will they still slip up and call him Sir? Will they even say Mr, Certainly, he is not retiring to suburbia, but to the monarchy's vast estate at Sandringham. There, he will be provided by the sovereign with one of the royal residences and given some form of private allowance. It is not his previous residence, where he paid a nominal rent for more than 20 years, and the county is a bit distant, but even so it may not be sufficiently removed. Unresolved Issues The situation continues. There are still files in the possession of US Congress to be disclosed. Governmental Scrutiny: Could lawmakers seek further action Monetary Probe: Or investigate the improper use of taxpayer funds Judicial Potential: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his conduct Maybe for the present the reputational impact to the crown is contained. The narrative from the institution was clearly that the removal of titles was what the monarch, and particularly other senior monarchical figures, sought. A Shift in Position An end to illusion that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, remarkably, the brief announcement showed clearly that the institution were supporting the accuser's account of events. Additionally, for the premiere occasion they finally showed regard for the survivors: "These actions are deemed necessary, regardless of the fact that he continues to deny the claims against him." In the end it is presumption, selfishness and indolence that will destroy the institution. In his folly, self-gratification and venality, Andrew gives the impression never to have learned that reality.