🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Monarchical Hubris Sunk Andrew, and It Might Persist Yet This episode commenced with a solitary photograph, perhaps the most significant ever taken of a royal family member. Present was the Duke of York, with his arm around a teenage girl, while another individual grinned suggestively in the rear. Lacking that photograph, shot at a social event in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the allegations of a teenager who stated she was trafficked across the sea and forced to have cursory relations with a individual of the royal family? A strange, indicative gesture by someone who had overtly claimed to have never known about her, claimed he could never have had relations with her, and yet provided millions of his mother's resources to avert a protracted court action. Over a Decade of Disgrace Considering this, talk of the royal family acting decisively to cut Andrew off are misguided. This controversy has endured for the majority of 15 years since that photograph, and another photo of Andrew strolling congenially with a disgraced financier came to light. Arrogance: For what duration did his siblings, possibly even his parents, realize that Andrew was so arrogant? Dubious Friendships: They must have known, if his employees and the law enforcement were doing their jobs, that he had some extremely unsavory companions given he openly hosted them to estates. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the monarchy did not know about his personal conduct, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with taxpayer funds. Travel were documented in official documents: helicopter transfers from the palace to a country club and back again in time for dining, private flights instead of scheduled services, all for the comfort of "the frequent flyer". World of Deference Additionally the entitlement which required respect when he walked into a area or the supreme awareness about his designations used on his correspondence in communication to his personal acquaintances. He avoided accountability while his matriarch, who unaccountably spoiled him, was still alive. The Queen did at least strip him of public duties and honorary colonelcies in the aftermath of his catastrophic and, as revealed, untruthful media appearance six years ago. Current Situation Merely in the last two weeks that events accelerated, following the issuance of biographical works giving more disturbing information of his conduct and that of his connections. More information have again revealed Andrew's assumption that he could escape being untruthful about his interaction with a disgraced individual. The public (and the media) were far in advance of the monarchy. There was no one of any importance to support him, a result of all those years of presumption. Royal Worries The more astute royals understood that. The one imperative is to hand down the crown, if not as previously at least whole and unblemished. Over time the last 190 years trying to overcome the reputation of previous monarchs, demonstrating they are useful, responsible and reactive to their subjects. His actions endangered all that in jeopardy in an time when submission and privacy is no longer adequate. Aftermath Eventually, the well-known indecisive sovereign was pushed further. There was no alternative. The institution had surrendered command of the story. Currently the removal of designations and the persistent and life-long social disgrace that will afflict Andrew most deeply. Demotion: Demoted to just a commoner Historical Precedent: The first member to lose his designations in contemporary era Military Service: Notably painful given his service in the Falklands war He is still a counsellor of state, in principle able to act for the sovereign, and he is still in the succession to the monarchy, but neither of these will truly come to pass. Coming Developments Do individuals he meets still acknowledge him? Might they still make mistakes and call him Your Highness? Would they say Andrew, Certainly, he is not retiring to an ordinary town, but to the royal family's extensive estate at Sandringham. There, he will be furnished by the king with one of the grace and favour houses and given some form of financial support. 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 adequate distance. Unresolved Issues The situation continues. There are still records in the possession of overseas authorities to be disclosed. Political Pressure: Might legislators seek further action Monetary Probe: Or scrutinize the improper use of state resources Criminal Investigation: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his actions Perhaps for the present the institutional damage to the crown is contained. The statement from the palace was evidently that the revocation of honorifics was what the sovereign, and notably other senior family members, desired. Changed Stance An end to illusion that Andrew was acting willingly. And, remarkably, the concise statement showed plainly that the institution were aligning with the accuser's account of events. Even more, for the premiere occasion they eventually showed concern for the affected individuals: "The measures are judged required, notwithstanding the reality that he persists in refuting the accusations against him." In the end it is presumption, self-interest and laziness that will undermine the institution. In his folly, self-gratification and venality, Andrew seems never to have grasped that truth.