Stupidity and Regal Arrogance Damaged Andrew, and It May Not Be Over Yet

It all began with a isolated photograph, possibly the most impactful ever taken of a royal family member.

There stood the Earl of Inverness, arm-in-arm a teenage girl, while a companion grinned knowingly in the rear.

Absent that image, taken at a social event in 2001, few would have credited the assertions of a adolescent who declared she was trafficked across the sea and compelled to have cursory sexual encounters with a member of the royal family?

A strange, telling move by someone who had publicly stated to have not heard of her, asserted he could no have had relations with her, and yet paid a substantial sum of monarchical money to resolve a long-delayed lawsuit.

A Long Period of Scandal

Against this backdrop, discussions of the monarchy acting decisively to sever ties with Andrew are inaccurate. This affair has continued for the majority of 15 years since that image, and a further image of Andrew ambling pleasantly with a convicted sex offender emerged.

• Hubris: How long did his brothers and sisters, possibly even his relatives, know that Andrew was so arrogant?
• Questionable Associations: They must have known, if his aides and the law enforcement were fulfilling their roles, that he had some extremely unsavory associates given he publicly invited them to estates.
• Fiscal Irresponsibility: If the household did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his wastefulness with state resources.

Trips were documented in official documents: chopper travel from the royal residence to a sporting venue and back again in time for dining, exclusive air travel instead of regular transport, all for the benefit of "Airmiles Andy".

Existence of Entitlement

Then there was the presumption which expected respect when he entered a room or the extreme consciousness about his honorifics used on his letterheads in letters to his friends.

He could get away with it while his matriarch, who unaccountably indulged him, was still alive. The Queen did at least strip him of royal responsibilities and honorary colonelcies in the consequence of his catastrophic and, we now know, mendacious media appearance six years ago.

Recent Developments

It was only in the last two weeks that events progressed rapidly, following the issuance of books giving more troubling information of his behavior and that of his connections.

More information have again revealed Andrew's thinking that he could escape deceiving about his contact with a convicted criminal.

The public (and the journalists) were far in advance of the royal family. There was no one of any consequence to defend him, a consequence of all those years of arrogance.

Royal Worries

The wiser family members understood that. The primary concern is to transfer the monarchy, if not as heretofore at least whole and unstained.

For generations the last 190 years trying to overcome the image of earlier rulers, showing they are beneficial, accountable and attentive to their people.

He was placing all that in jeopardy in an age when respect and privacy is no longer sufficient.

Consequences

Eventually, the notoriously uncertain monarch was prodded additional. There was little choice. The institution had relinquished authority of the narrative.

Now it is the removal of titles and the ongoing and life-long personal shame that will pain Andrew the most.

• Demotion: Demoted to just a private citizen
• Historical Precedent: The primary royal to lose his honorifics in contemporary era
• Naval Career: Notably hurtful given his duty in the conflict

He remains a constitutional officer, in principle able to substitute for the king, and he is still in the succession to the monarchy, but not any of these will actually occur.

Future Prospects

Can persons he comes across still defer to him? Might they still make mistakes and call him Prince? Might they say Mr,

Certainly, he is not withdrawing to suburbia, but to the monarchy's large property at a royal residence.

At that location, he will be supplied by the monarch with one of the grace and favour houses and given some sort of personal stipend.

This differs from his former home, where he paid a token payment for more than 20 years, and the county is a bit far, but even so it may not be sufficiently removed.

Outstanding Concerns

Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the hands of US Congress to be made public.

• Parliamentary Interest: Might parliament demand more
• Fiscal Review: Or scrutinize the waste of public money
• Legal Possibility: There may even be a criminal probe into his conduct

Perhaps for the present the institutional damage to the institution is contained. The statement from the royal household was clearly that the removal of designations was what the sovereign, and especially other senior family members, desired.

A Shift in Position

The cessation of illusion that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, remarkably, the concise announcement showed plainly that the royals were aligning with the victim's narrative of incidents.

Additionally, for the initial instance they eventually showed concern for the affected individuals: "These actions are deemed necessary, despite the truth that he continues to deny the claims against him."

Finally it is entitlement, self-seeking and indolence that will kill the monarchy. In his folly, self-gratification and greed, Andrew appears never to have grasped that reality.