🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Regal Arrogance Damaged Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet The saga started with a single photograph, perhaps the most impactful ever captured of a individual from the royal household. In the frame appeared the Duke of York, standing closely beside a young woman, while a companion smiled knowingly in the background. Absent that snapshot, shot at a party in 2001, who would have believed the claims of a adolescent who said she was transported across the ocean and compelled to have brief sexual encounters with a member of the royal bloodline? A strange, indicative move by someone who had openly stated to have no heard of her, asserted he could never have had intimate contact with her, and yet handed over millions of family money to resolve a protracted lawsuit. A Long Period of Disgrace Against this backdrop, discussions of the royal family acting decisively to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This controversy has continued for the largest portion of 15 years since that image, and another photo of Andrew strolling congenially with a disgraced financier came to light. Hubris: How long did his family members, maybe even his mother and father, realize that Andrew was so presumptuous? Problematic Connections: They must have known, if his employees and the police were performing their duties, that he had some deeply disreputable companions given he publicly hosted them to palaces. Monetary Excess: If the family did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with state resources. Journeys were listed in official documents: private aircraft flights from the estate to a sporting venue and back again in time for midday meal, private flights instead of scheduled services, all for the convenience of "Airmiles Andy". A Life of Privilege Then there was the entitlement which expected deference when he entered a area or the extreme awareness about his honorifics used on his official documents in communication to his personal acquaintances. He managed to escape consequences while his matriarch, who unaccountably spoiled him, was still living. The sovereign did at least revoke him of official roles and honorary colonelcies in the aftermath of his disastrous and, as revealed, deceptive media appearance six years ago. Current Situation Just in the last two weeks that events sped up, following the issuance of books giving more troubling details of his behavior and that of his connections. Additional revelations have again exposed Andrew's assumption that he could avoid being untruthful about his interaction with a disgraced individual. The public (and the press) were far in advance of the monarchy. There was nobody of any importance to support him, a outcome of all those years of arrogance. Monarchical Concerns The more astute family members understood that. The one imperative is to hand down the monarchy, if not as before at least complete and unblemished. For generations the last 190 years trying to overcome the legacy of previous monarchs, proving they are valuable, accountable and reactive to their subjects. Andrew was putting all that in peril in an age when deference and secrecy is no longer adequate. Consequences Finally, the famously hesitant monarch was pushed more. There was little choice. The institution had lost control of the account. Currently the loss of titles and the continued and lifetime social disgrace that will pain Andrew most severely. Demotion: Lowered to just a private citizen Past Example: The initial member to forfeit his honorifics in recent history Military Service: Particularly hurtful given his role in the conflict He remains a royal advisor, in principle able to stand in for the monarch, and he is still in the succession to the monarchy, but not any of these will ever come to pass. Future Prospects Do individuals he comes across still show respect to him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Sir? Would they say Sir, Of course, he is not moving to suburbia, but to the monarchy's extensive property at Sandringham. There, he will be provided by the king with one of the grace and favour houses and given some type of financial support. This differs from his former home, where he paid a minimal payment for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit distant, but even so it may not be far enough. Unresolved Issues Matters remain unresolved. There are still files in the hands of US Congress to be disclosed. Governmental Scrutiny: Might parliament seek further action Financial Investigation: Or scrutinize the improper use of taxpayer funds Criminal Investigation: There may even be a police investigation into his behavior Perhaps for the moment the harm to the monarchy to the crown is restricted. The message from the royal household was plainly that the stripping of honorifics was what the monarch, and especially other senior royals, desired. A Shift in Position No more pretence that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, notably, the brief statement showed plainly that the institution were aligning with the complainant's account of occurrences. Even more, for the initial instance they finally showed concern for the victims: "The measures are deemed necessary, regardless of the fact that he persists in refuting the allegations against him." Finally it is arrogance, self-interest and laziness that will destroy the institution. In his folly, self-indulgence and greed, Andrew gives the impression never to have grasped that truth.