🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Regal Arrogance Damaged Andrew, and It May Not Be Over Yet It all began with a single photograph, possibly the most significant ever taken of a royal family member. Present was the Duke of York, standing closely beside a young woman, while another individual smiled knowingly in the background. Without that image, taken at a gathering in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the allegations of a young woman who declared she was transported across the Atlantic and compelled to have cursory intimate contact with a member of the monarchy? A curious, telling action by someone who had openly claimed to have no known about her, claimed he could no have had relations with her, and yet provided a substantial sum of monarchical money to avert a drawn-out lawsuit. A Long Period of Controversy Considering this, conversations of the monarchy acting decisively to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This scandal has persisted for the largest portion of 15 years since that image, and a further image of Andrew strolling amiably with a notorious individual came to light. Hubris: How long did his brothers and sisters, maybe even his mother and father, understand that Andrew was so arrogant? Dubious Friendships: They must have understood, if his staff and the law enforcement were fulfilling their roles, that he had some highly questionable friends given he openly hosted them to estates. Monetary Excess: If the monarchy did not know about his personal conduct, they certainly knew about his overspending with state resources. Travel were printed in royal annual reports: chopper transfers from the estate to a golf course and back again in time for lunch, chartered planes instead of scheduled services, all for the convenience of "the travel enthusiast". Existence of Entitlement Then there was the presumption which required subservience when he walked into a area or the extreme awareness about his honorifics used on his correspondence in communication to his friends. He avoided accountability while his matriarch, who unaccountably spoiled him, was still surviving. The monarch did at least revoke him of official roles and military positions in the wake of his catastrophic and, it is now clear, mendacious public statement six years ago. Current Situation Merely in the last 14 days that events progressed rapidly, following the publication of biographical works giving more disturbing particulars of his behavior and that of his connections. Additional revelations have again exposed Andrew's belief that he could get away with lying about his relationship with a convicted criminal. Society (and the journalists) were far more perceptive of the royal family. There was no one of any significance to speak up for him, a consequence of all those years of arrogance. Institutional Fears The more astute monarchical figures understood that. The primary concern is to pass on the crown, if not as heretofore at least whole and unblemished. For generations the last 190 years trying to overcome the legacy of past sovereigns, demonstrating they are valuable, dutiful and attentive to their citizens. His actions endangered all that in danger in an era when respect and secrecy is no longer adequate. Aftermath Eventually, the notoriously uncertain monarch was pushed additional. There was no alternative. The institution had surrendered command of the story. Currently the stripping of honorifics and the persistent and lifetime public humiliation that will afflict Andrew the most. Reduction: Reduced to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor Prior Instance: The initial royal to lose his designations in modern times Armed Forces: Notably hurtful given his service in the conflict He is still a constitutional officer, on paper able to act for the king, and he is still in the lineage to the throne, but not any of these will actually come to pass. Coming Developments Can persons he meets still acknowledge him? Could they still forget themselves and call him Your Highness? Would they say Sir, Naturally, he is not moving to suburbia, but to the sovereign's extensive estate at Sandringham. In that place, he will be supplied by the monarch with one of the royal residences and given some form of financial support. It is not his prior accommodation, where he paid a minimal payment for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit remote, but even so it may not be far enough. Pending Matters Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the possession of overseas authorities to be made public. Governmental Scrutiny: Could parliament request additional information Fiscal Review: Or examine the improper use of state resources Legal Possibility: There may even be a criminal probe into his behavior Possibly for the time being the harm to the monarchy to the crown is limited. The narrative from the royal household was evidently that the removal of honorifics was what the sovereign, and especially other senior royals, desired. Altered Approach An end to deception that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, remarkably, the brief statement showed evidently that the monarchy were siding with the complainant's version of occurrences. Even more, for the premiere occasion they ultimately showed regard for the affected individuals: "The censures are deemed necessary, despite the reality that he continues to deny the accusations against him." In the end it is presumption, selfishness and inactivity that will kill the crown. In his folly, personal excess and corruption, Andrew seems never to have understood that truth.