🔗 Share this article Folly and Monarchical Hubris Ruined Andrew, and It Might Persist Yet It all began with a single photograph, arguably the most impactful ever captured of a member of the monarchy. There stood the Duke of York, with his arm around a young woman, while an associate smiled suggestively in the background. Lacking that snapshot, taken at a party in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the claims of a teenager who said she was transported across the sea and obliged to have cursory sexual encounters with a prince of the royal family? An odd, revealing gesture by someone who had openly stated to have never heard of her, claimed he could never have had relations with her, and yet provided a substantial sum of his mother's funds to avert a drawn-out lawsuit. Over a Decade of Disgrace In this context, talk of the royal family acting decisively to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This scandal has continued for the majority of 15 years since that picture, and another photo of Andrew walking pleasantly with a convicted sex offender emerged. Hubris: For what duration did his siblings, perhaps even his relatives, know that Andrew was so arrogant? Dubious Friendships: They must have realized, if his employees and the authorities were doing their jobs, that he had some highly questionable companions given he openly welcomed them to palaces. Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the family did not know about his personal conduct, they certainly knew about his overspending with taxpayer funds. Travel were documented in official documents: chopper flights from the palace to a sporting venue and back again in time for midday meal, chartered planes instead of scheduled services, all for the comfort of "the travel enthusiast". Existence of Entitlement Additionally the arrogance which demanded deference when he walked into a area or the supreme consciousness about his honorifics used on his letterheads in communication to his personal acquaintances. He managed to escape consequences while his mother, who unaccountably spoiled him, was still alive. The monarch did at least revoke him of public duties and military positions in the aftermath of his catastrophic and, it is now clear, mendacious public statement six years ago. Current Situation Just in the last fortnight that events accelerated, following the publication of accounts giving more grim details of his behavior and that of his connections. Additional revelations have again highlighted Andrew's assumption that he could get away with deceiving about his interaction with a disgraced individual. The public (and the press) were far more perceptive of the royals. There was not a single person of any significance to support him, a outcome of all those years of arrogance. Monarchical Concerns The wiser monarchical figures recognized that. The one imperative is to pass on the institution, if not as heretofore at least intact and unblemished. They have spent the last 190 years trying to overcome the reputation of earlier rulers, demonstrating they are valuable, responsible and responsive to their subjects. He was placing all that in danger in an time when deference and discretion is no longer adequate. Aftermath Finally, the notoriously indecisive monarch was pressured further. There was little choice. The palace had surrendered command of the narrative. Now it is the loss of designations and the persistent and life-long social disgrace that will afflict Andrew most severely. Reduction: Reduced to just a commoner Prior Instance: The first royal to surrender his honorifics in recent history Naval Career: Notably painful given his role in the Falklands war He remains a constitutional officer, theoretically able to stand in for the sovereign, and he is still eighth in line to the monarchy, but neither of these will actually happen. What Lies Ahead Will people he comes across still show respect to him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Your Highness? Might they say Andrew, Of course, he is not moving to a common area, but to the sovereign's large estate at a monarchical property. In that place, he will be provided by the sovereign with one of the estate properties and given some form of financial support. This is not his previous residence, where he paid a token rent for more than 20 years, and the area is a bit far, but even so it may not be sufficiently removed. Pending Matters Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the custody of American legislators to be disclosed. Governmental Scrutiny: Might legislators demand more Fiscal Review: Or examine the improper use of state resources Legal Possibility: There may even be a criminal probe into his conduct Possibly for the time being the reputational impact to the crown is restricted. The narrative from the palace was evidently that the revocation of designations was what the sovereign, and notably other senior royals, desired. Altered Approach No more illusion that Andrew was acting willingly. And, notably, the short communication showed evidently that the institution were aligning with the victim's version of events. Additionally, for the initial instance they finally showed regard for the affected individuals: "The measures are judged required, despite the truth that he persists in refuting the accusations against him." Ultimately it is entitlement, self-seeking and inactivity that will kill the monarchy. In his folly, personal excess and corruption, Andrew gives the impression never to have learned that reality.