🔗 Share this article Foolishness and Monarchical Hubris Ruined Andrew, and It May Not Be Over Yet The saga started with a solitary photograph, perhaps the most consequential ever captured of a individual from the royal household. Present was the Baron Killyleagh, standing closely beside a female youth, while a companion smiled knowingly in the backdrop. Absent that image, shot at a gathering in 2001, who would have believed the claims of a adolescent who stated she was transported across the sea and forced to have cursory relations with a member of the royal bloodline? An odd, indicative move by someone who had publicly asserted to have not been aware of her, said he could not have had relations with her, and yet handed over a substantial sum of family money to resolve a drawn-out lawsuit. Years of Scandal Considering this, discussions of the royals acting firmly to distance themselves from Andrew are inaccurate. This scandal has persisted for the largest portion of 15 years since that picture, and another image of Andrew ambling congenially with a notorious individual surfaced. Arrogance: How long did his brothers and sisters, possibly even his parents, know that Andrew was so self-entitled? Problematic Connections: They must have known, if his aides and the law enforcement were fulfilling their roles, that he had some highly questionable associates given he publicly hosted them to estates. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the family did not know about his personal conduct, they certainly knew about his extravagance with public money. Trips were documented in public records: chopper travel from the estate to a sporting venue and back again in time for lunch, private flights instead of commercial flights, all for the benefit of "Airmiles Andy". Existence of Entitlement Furthermore the arrogance which demanded subservience when he entered a space or the extreme awareness about his honorifics used on his letterheads in messages to his personal acquaintances. He could get away with it while his mother, who strangely pampered him, was still surviving. The Queen did at least remove him of public duties and ceremonial ranks in the wake of his disastrous and, we now know, untruthful media appearance six years ago. Current Situation Just in the last 14 days that events accelerated, following the publication of accounts giving more grim information of his conduct and that of his companions. More information have again exposed Andrew's belief that he could avoid being untruthful about his interaction with a convicted criminal. The public (and the journalists) were far ahead of the monarchy. There was not a single person of any consequence to support him, a outcome of all those years of arrogance. Royal Worries The more astute royals understood that. The one imperative is to hand down the institution, if not as before at least complete and unblemished. Over time the last 190 years trying to reverse the image of past sovereigns, proving they are valuable, accountable and attentive to their citizens. Andrew was putting all that in danger in an era when respect and discretion is no longer enough. Consequences Eventually, the well-known indecisive king was pressured more. There was little choice. The royal household had lost control of the account. Currently the loss of honorifics and the ongoing and lifetime personal shame that will afflict Andrew the most. Demotion: Reduced to just a private citizen Past Example: The primary member to surrender his honorifics in modern times Military Service: Notably painful given his role in the Falklands war He is still a counsellor of state, on paper able to substitute for the monarch, and he is still in the succession to the crown, but not any of these will ever come to pass. Coming Developments Will people he encounters still show respect to him? Will they still slip up and call him Prince? Might they say Andrew, Of course, he is not moving to a common area, but to the sovereign's large grounds at a royal residence. At that location, he will be furnished by the monarch with one of the royal residences and given some type of financial support. This is not 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 far enough. Outstanding Concerns Matters remain unresolved. There are still documents in the possession of American legislators to be revealed. Governmental Scrutiny: Could lawmakers demand more Financial Investigation: Or examine the misuse of taxpayer funds Judicial Potential: There may even be a criminal probe into his behavior Possibly for the moment the harm to the monarchy to the monarchy is restricted. The statement from the royal household was clearly that the removal of designations was what the monarch, and particularly other senior monarchical figures, sought. A Shift in Position No more pretence that Andrew was acting willingly. And, notably, the short announcement showed clearly that the institution were supporting the accuser's version of occurrences. Furthermore, for the premiere occasion they eventually showed regard for the affected individuals: "The censures are judged required, despite the truth that he continues to deny the accusations against him." In the end it is entitlement, self-seeking and indolence that will undermine the institution. In his stupidity, self-gratification and corruption, Andrew appears never to have learned that truth.