🔗 Share this article Foolishness and Monarchical Hubris Damaged Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet This episode commenced with a solitary photograph, perhaps the most significant ever snapped of a royal family member. There stood the Duke of York, standing closely beside a young woman, while a companion beamed conspiratorially in the rear. Lacking that photograph, shot at a party in 2001, few would have credited the assertions of a adolescent who said she was trafficked across the Atlantic and compelled to have perfunctory sexual encounters with a member of the royal bloodline? A strange, telling gesture by someone who had overtly asserted to have no heard of her, said he could not have had sex with her, and yet paid millions of monarchical funds to avert a drawn-out lawsuit. Over a Decade of Scandal Against this backdrop, conversations of the monarchy acting firmly to cut Andrew off are inaccurate. This affair has continued for the majority of 15 years since that photograph, and another photo of Andrew strolling amiably with a disgraced financier surfaced. Arrogance: To what extent did his siblings, maybe even his mother and father, realize that Andrew was so presumptuous? Problematic Connections: They must have known, if his staff and the police were fulfilling their roles, that he had some highly questionable associates given he openly invited them to royal residences. Monetary Excess: If the monarchy did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with taxpayer funds. Trips were printed in public records: private aircraft flights from the royal residence to a sporting venue and back again in time for dining, exclusive air travel instead of commercial flights, all for the convenience of "the frequent flyer". A Life of Privilege Then there was the presumption which expected subservience when he entered a room or the profound awareness about his royal titles used on his official documents in communication to his associates. He could get away with it while his matriarch, who strangely pampered him, was still living. The Queen did at least revoke him of official roles and honorary colonelcies in the consequence of his catastrophic and, it is now clear, mendacious public statement six years ago. Recent Developments Merely in the last 14 days that events accelerated, following the issuance of books giving more troubling information of his actions and that of his associates. Further disclosures have again revealed Andrew's assumption that he could get away with being untruthful about his interaction with a notorious figure. People (and the journalists) were far ahead of the royals. There was nobody of any consequence to speak up for him, a outcome of all those years of arrogance. Royal Worries The more astute monarchical figures understood that. The key objective is to hand down the monarchy, if not as heretofore at least whole and untarnished. Over time the last 190 years trying to overcome the legacy of previous monarchs, proving they are beneficial, responsible and reactive to their citizens. His actions endangered all that in peril in an era when respect and secrecy is no longer adequate. The Fallout Finally, the notoriously indecisive sovereign was pushed more. There was no alternative. The palace had surrendered command of the narrative. Now it is the stripping of titles and the ongoing and lifetime social disgrace that will pain Andrew the most. Demotion: Demoted to just a private citizen Historical Precedent: The primary royal to surrender his designations in contemporary era Naval Career: Notably stinging given his service in the engagement He is still a constitutional officer, theoretically able to substitute for the sovereign, and he is still eighth in line to the monarchy, but none of these will ever come to pass. What Lies Ahead Do individuals he meets still acknowledge him? Could they still slip up and call him Sir? Might they say Andrew, Certainly, he is not withdrawing to a common area, but to the royal family's large property at a royal residence. There, he will be supplied by the monarch with one of the grace and favour houses and given some form of financial support. It is not his former home, where he paid a minimal payment for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit far, but even so it may not be far enough. Pending Matters Matters remain unresolved. There are still documents in the possession of overseas authorities to be revealed. Governmental Scrutiny: Might parliament request additional information Fiscal Review: Or investigate the waste of public money Judicial Potential: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his behavior Possibly for the time being the reputational impact to the monarchy is contained. The statement from the palace was evidently that the stripping of titles was what the monarch, and notably other senior family members, sought. A Shift in Position An end to pretence that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, remarkably, the brief announcement showed clearly that the royals were aligning with the accuser's version of occurrences. Additionally, for the premiere occasion they ultimately showed concern for the affected individuals: "These actions are judged required, regardless of the reality that he maintains his innocence of the claims against him." Ultimately it is arrogance, selfishness and laziness that will undermine the crown. In his folly, self-indulgence and venality, Andrew seems never to have learned that reality.