🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Monarchical Hubris Damaged Andrew, and It May Not Be Over Yet The saga started with a isolated photograph, perhaps the most consequential ever taken of a royal family member. There stood the Baron Killyleagh, with his arm around a young woman, while a companion beamed conspiratorially in the backdrop. Absent that photograph, shot at a gathering in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the claims of a teenager who said she was trafficked across the Atlantic and obliged to have cursory sexual encounters with a prince of the royal family? A strange, indicative move by someone who had publicly asserted to have no been aware of her, said he could no have had sex with her, and yet paid a large amount of monarchical funds to resolve a drawn-out lawsuit. Over a Decade of Scandal Considering this, conversations of the royals acting swiftly to distance themselves from Andrew are wide of the mark. This controversy has continued for the majority of 15 years since that photograph, and a further image of Andrew strolling congenially with a disgraced financier came to light. Self-importance: To what extent did his siblings, perhaps even his parents, realize that Andrew was so arrogant? Questionable Associations: They must have understood, if his staff and the law enforcement were doing their jobs, that he had some highly questionable friends given he openly hosted them to royal residences. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the family did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his extravagance with state resources. Travel were printed in public records: private aircraft flights from the estate to a sporting venue and back again in time for lunch, chartered planes instead of regular transport, all for the benefit of "the frequent flyer". World of Deference Furthermore the presumption which required respect when he walked into a area or the supreme obsession about his designations used on his official documents in messages to his friends. He could get away with it while his mother, who unaccountably indulged him, was still living. The monarch did at least strip him of official roles and military positions in the wake of his disastrous and, it is now clear, untruthful television interview six years ago. Current Situation It was only in the last two weeks that events progressed rapidly, following the publication of biographical works giving more disturbing information of his actions and that of his connections. Further disclosures have again revealed Andrew's belief that he could escape being untruthful about his relationship with a notorious figure. The public (and the journalists) were far more perceptive of the monarchy. There was not a single person of any significance to defend him, a outcome of all those years of hubris. Monarchical Concerns The wiser monarchical figures understood that. The primary concern is to pass on the monarchy, if not as before at least whole and untarnished. They have spent the last 190 years trying to undo the reputation of earlier rulers, demonstrating they are beneficial, dutiful and attentive to their citizens. He was placing all that in peril in an era when respect and privacy is no longer adequate. Consequences Eventually, the notoriously hesitant monarch was pushed additional. There was no other option. The royal household had lost control of the story. Now it is the stripping of honorifics and the continued and lifetime public humiliation that will afflict Andrew most deeply. Downgrading: Demoted to just a private citizen Past Example: The initial royal to lose his titles in recent history Naval Career: Especially hurtful given his duty in the Falklands war He remains a counsellor of state, theoretically able to stand in for the king, and he is still in the lineage to the crown, but not any of these will actually occur. What Lies Ahead Do individuals he encounters still show respect to him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Sir? Will they even say Mr, Certainly, he is not retiring to suburbia, but to the sovereign's vast property 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 prior accommodation, where he paid a nominal rent for more than 20 years, and the county is a bit far, but even so it may not be far enough. Pending Matters Matters remain unresolved. There are still documents in the custody of American legislators to be revealed. Political Pressure: Might legislators seek further action Fiscal Review: Or examine the improper use of taxpayer funds Legal Possibility: There may even be a law enforcement inquiry into his behavior Maybe for the time being the harm to the monarchy to the crown is contained. The narrative from the palace was clearly that the removal of designations was what the monarch, and particularly other senior royals, sought. Altered Approach No more deception that Andrew was acting willingly. And, notably, the concise statement showed evidently that the monarchy were siding with the victim's account of events. Additionally, for the premiere occasion they ultimately showed concern for the survivors: "The measures are considered essential, despite the fact that he persists in refuting the allegations against him." In the end it is presumption, selfishness and laziness that will destroy the monarchy. In his foolishness, self-gratification and corruption, Andrew appears never to have learned that lesson.