🔗 Share this article Folly and Regal Arrogance Ruined Andrew, and It Might Persist Yet The saga started with a solitary photograph, possibly the most consequential ever taken of a individual from the royal household. In the frame appeared the Earl of Inverness, with his arm around a teenage girl, while an associate beamed suggestively in the background. Without that image, taken at a party in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the allegations of a adolescent who said she was moved across the Atlantic and compelled to have brief sexual encounters with a prince of the royal family? A strange, telling move by someone who had overtly claimed to have never known about her, asserted he could never have had intimate contact with her, and yet handed over millions of family money to avert a long-delayed lawsuit. A Long Period of Scandal Considering this, conversations of the monarchy acting firmly to cut Andrew off are misguided. This controversy has persisted for the better part of 15 years since that photograph, and a further photo of Andrew strolling congenially with a notorious individual came to light. Hubris: To what extent did his brothers and sisters, possibly even his parents, realize that Andrew was so presumptuous? Questionable Associations: They must have understood, if his aides and the authorities were fulfilling their roles, that he had some extremely unsavory friends given he publicly hosted them to estates. Monetary Excess: If the household did not know about his personal conduct, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with taxpayer funds. Travel were documented in royal annual reports: chopper transfers from the estate to a sporting venue and back again in time for lunch, chartered planes instead of regular transport, all for the convenience of "the travel enthusiast". Existence of Entitlement Furthermore the presumption which demanded respect when he walked into a room or the extreme obsession about his royal titles used on his letterheads in messages to his associates. He managed to escape consequences while his parent, who inexplicably indulged him, was still surviving. The monarch did at least revoke him of royal responsibilities and military positions in the consequence of his disastrous and, we now know, deceptive media appearance six years ago. Recent Developments Merely in the last 14 days that events progressed rapidly, following the release of accounts giving more disturbing details of his conduct and that of his connections. Additional revelations have again highlighted Andrew's assumption that he could escape being untruthful about his interaction with a notorious figure. Society (and the journalists) were far in advance of the monarchy. There was no one of any significance to support him, a result of all those years of arrogance. Monarchical Concerns The more astute royals realized that. The primary concern is to hand down the crown, if not as before at least intact and unstained. They have spent the last 190 years trying to undo the image of past sovereigns, demonstrating they are valuable, accountable and responsive to their citizens. Andrew was putting all that in danger in an time when submission and secrecy is no longer enough. Consequences Eventually, the famously indecisive monarch was pushed more. There was no alternative. The royal household had surrendered command of the narrative. Presently the stripping of honorifics and the persistent and permanent social disgrace that will pain Andrew most deeply. Reduction: Demoted to just Mr Mountbatten-Windsor Historical Precedent: The first member to forfeit his titles in recent history Armed Forces: Particularly painful given his role in the conflict He continues to be a counsellor of state, in principle able to act for the sovereign, and he is still in the lineage to the monarchy, but none of these will ever come to pass. Coming Developments Can persons he meets still show respect to him? Will they still make mistakes and call him Your Highness? Will they even say Mr, Of course, he is not withdrawing to an ordinary town, but to the royal family's vast estate at a monarchical property. At that location, he will be provided by the monarch with one of the royal residences and given some sort of financial support. This differs from his previous residence, where he paid a minimal rent for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit far, but even so it may not be sufficiently removed. Outstanding Concerns Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the possession of overseas authorities to be revealed. Political Pressure: Might legislators seek further action Financial Investigation: Or investigate the misuse of state resources Criminal Investigation: There may even be a police investigation into his actions Perhaps for the moment the harm to the monarchy to the institution is restricted. The narrative from the institution was evidently that the stripping of designations was what the king, and notably other senior monarchical figures, desired. A Shift in Position No more illusion that Andrew was acting willingly. And, notably, the concise statement showed clearly that the royals were aligning with the accuser's account of events. Additionally, for the first time they ultimately showed concern for the victims: "The measures are considered essential, regardless of the truth that he persists in refuting the accusations against him." Finally it is arrogance, selfishness and inactivity that will kill the monarchy. In his folly, self-gratification and venality, Andrew gives the impression never to have understood that lesson.