🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Monarchical Hubris Damaged Andrew, and It May Not Be Over Yet The saga started with a solitary photograph, possibly the most consequential ever captured of a royal family member. There stood the Baron Killyleagh, with his arm around a female youth, while a companion beamed knowingly in the backdrop. Lacking that image, taken at a gathering in 2001, who would have believed the allegations of a teenager who declared she was moved across the ocean and forced to have brief sexual encounters with a member of the royal bloodline? A strange, revealing gesture by someone who had openly stated to have no known about her, said he could never have had sex with her, and yet provided millions of family funds to resolve a protracted lawsuit. Years of Controversy Considering this, discussions of the royals acting swiftly to sever ties with Andrew are misguided. This scandal has persisted for the better part of 15 years since that image, and a further snapshot of Andrew strolling amiably with a disgraced financier came to light. Hubris: For what duration did his brothers and sisters, possibly even his parents, realize that Andrew was so presumptuous? Problematic Connections: They must have known, if his employees and the authorities were doing their jobs, that he had some highly questionable associates given he openly welcomed them to estates. Financial Extravagance: If the family did not know about his intimate behaviors, they certainly knew about his overspending with state resources. Trips were documented in royal annual reports: helicopter flights from the estate to a golf course and back again in time for midday meal, exclusive air travel instead of commercial flights, all for the benefit of "Airmiles Andy". A Life of Privilege Then there was the presumption which demanded subservience when he walked into a room or the supreme obsession about his honorifics used on his correspondence in messages to his personal acquaintances. He avoided accountability while his matriarch, who unaccountably pampered him, was still living. The sovereign did at least strip him of royal responsibilities and military positions in the aftermath of his disastrous and, we now know, mendacious television interview six years ago. Latest Events It was only in the last 14 days that events sped up, following the release of books giving more disturbing particulars of his actions and that of his associates. More information have again exposed Andrew's thinking that he could get away with lying about his interaction with a convicted criminal. The public (and the media) were far in advance of the royals. There was no one of any consequence to defend him, a outcome of all those years of arrogance. Royal Worries The wiser royals recognized that. The one imperative is to hand down the crown, if not as previously at least complete and unblemished. They have spent the last 190 years trying to reverse the legacy of past sovereigns, showing they are beneficial, dutiful and attentive to their people. His actions endangered all that in danger in an age when submission and privacy is no longer sufficient. The Fallout Eventually, the well-known indecisive sovereign was prodded further. There was little choice. The palace had lost control of the account. Presently the stripping of honorifics and the ongoing and permanent personal shame that will pain Andrew most severely. Reduction: Reduced to just a commoner Historical Precedent: The first monarch to surrender his honorifics in recent history Military Service: Notably hurtful given his service in the conflict He is still a constitutional officer, theoretically able to substitute for the monarch, and he is still eighth in line to the monarchy, but neither of these will truly come to pass. Coming Developments Can persons he meets still show respect to him? Might they still forget themselves and call him Prince? Would they say Mr, Certainly, he is not withdrawing to an ordinary town, but to the monarchy's large estate at a royal residence. At that location, he will be provided by the monarch with one of the estate properties and given some type of financial support. This is not his prior accommodation, where he paid a minimal payment for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit remote, but even so it may not be sufficiently removed. Outstanding Concerns This is not over. There are still records in the custody of US Congress to be disclosed. Parliamentary Interest: Will parliament request additional information Fiscal Review: Or scrutinize the misuse of public money Criminal Investigation: There may even be a criminal probe into his behavior Possibly for the present the harm to the monarchy to the monarchy is contained. The narrative from the institution was clearly that the revocation of titles was what the king, and notably other senior royals, wanted. Changed Stance The cessation of illusion that Andrew was making the choice himself. And, notably, the short statement showed clearly that the monarchy were supporting the victim's version of events. Even more, for the first time they finally showed regard for the affected individuals: "The censures are considered essential, despite the truth that he continues to deny the allegations against him." Ultimately it is arrogance, self-seeking and laziness that will undermine the monarchy. In his stupidity, self-indulgence and venality, Andrew seems never to have understood that lesson.