🔗 Share this article Foolishness and Regal Arrogance Ruined Andrew, and It May Not Be Over Yet This episode commenced with a isolated photograph, possibly the most significant ever taken of a individual from the royal household. Present was the Earl of Inverness, with his arm around a female youth, while a companion beamed suggestively in the backdrop. Without that photograph, shot at a party in 2001, few would have credited the assertions of a young woman who said she was trafficked across the Atlantic and obliged to have brief relations with a prince of the monarchy? A strange, indicative move by someone who had overtly claimed to have not been aware of her, claimed he could not have had intimate contact with her, and yet provided a substantial sum of monarchical funds to avert a drawn-out legal case. Years of Controversy Against this backdrop, talk of the monarchy acting firmly to cut Andrew off are wide of the mark. This scandal has continued for the majority of 15 years since that photograph, and an additional image of Andrew walking congenially with a notorious individual came to light. Arrogance: How long did his siblings, possibly even his relatives, know that Andrew was so self-entitled? Problematic Connections: They must have realized, if his aides and the police were doing their jobs, that he had some extremely unsavory companions given he publicly welcomed them to royal residences. Financial Extravagance: If the family did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with public money. Travel were printed in public records: chopper travel from the palace to a golf course and back again in time for midday meal, exclusive air travel instead of commercial flights, all for the convenience of "the frequent flyer". Existence of Entitlement Then there was the arrogance which expected subservience when he entered a area or the extreme consciousness about his honorifics used on his official documents in messages to his associates. He could get away with it while his mother, who strangely indulged him, was still living. The Queen did at least revoke him of royal responsibilities and honorary colonelcies in the aftermath of his disastrous and, as revealed, untruthful media appearance six years ago. Recent Developments Just in the last fortnight that events progressed rapidly, following the publication of accounts giving more disturbing details of his conduct and that of his companions. Additional revelations have again highlighted Andrew's thinking that he could avoid being untruthful about his relationship with a notorious figure. People (and the press) were far in advance of the royal family. There was nobody of any consequence to speak up for him, a outcome of all those years of presumption. Institutional Fears The more intelligent family members realized that. The primary concern is to hand down the institution, if not as heretofore at least complete and untarnished. For generations the last 190 years trying to undo the legacy of previous monarchs, demonstrating they are valuable, dutiful and reactive to their subjects. He was placing all that in danger in an era when respect and secrecy is no longer sufficient. Consequences Ultimately, the notoriously uncertain monarch was pressured additional. There was little choice. The institution had lost control of the story. Currently the removal of honorifics and the continued and permanent social disgrace that will pain Andrew most severely. Reduction: Reduced to just a private citizen Prior Instance: The primary monarch to forfeit his designations in contemporary era Naval Career: Especially painful given his service in the Falklands war He continues to be a counsellor of state, theoretically able to substitute for the monarch, and he is still eighth in line to the crown, but neither of these will actually come to pass. What Lies Ahead Can persons he encounters still show respect to him? Might they still slip up and call him Prince? Will they even say Andrew, Naturally, he is not withdrawing to an ordinary town, but to the monarchy's large grounds at a royal residence. In that place, he will be supplied by the sovereign with one of the estate properties and given some form of private allowance. This differs from his former home, where he paid a minimal rent for more than 20 years, and the county is a bit far, but even so it may not be adequate distance. Unresolved Issues This is not over. There are still records in the hands of overseas authorities to be revealed. Parliamentary Interest: Might parliament demand more Fiscal Review: Or scrutinize the waste of public money Legal Possibility: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his actions Possibly for the time being the reputational impact to the monarchy is contained. The statement from the institution was plainly that the stripping of titles was what the king, and particularly other senior royals, desired. A Shift in Position No more pretence that Andrew was acting willingly. And, significantly, the short announcement showed clearly that the monarchy were aligning with the victim's narrative of incidents. Even more, for the premiere occasion they ultimately showed regard for the victims: "The censures are considered essential, notwithstanding the fact that he persists in refuting the allegations against him." Ultimately it is arrogance, self-interest and inactivity that will destroy the institution. In his stupidity, personal excess and greed, Andrew gives the impression never to have grasped that reality.